more-inAhmedabad: As flood waters recede in Banaskantha district, 17 members of a family have been found dead in Kharia village. On Wednesday, the Indian Air Force and Army intensified rescue operations, mobilising a dozen choppers and motorboats to reach interior villages where thousands of people are still stranded. “More than 650 people were rescued by agencies on Wednesday, including 272 through Air Force choppers,” Principal Secretary (Revenue) Pankaj Kumar said. More than 53,000 people were relocated while over 3,000 stranded in far-flung villages and towns were rescued by the NationalDisaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Army, Border Security Force and the Indian Air Force. Meanwhile, the State has already received more than 65% of the season’s average rainfall, with North Gujarat receiving over 200% ofthe average rainfall till Wednesday.

Source: The Hindu July 26, 2017 19:30 UTC