Rains batter Gujarat; 60 shrimp farmers airlifted to safety by Coast Guard choppers in Navsari

Navsari (Gujarat): At least 60 shrimp farmers stranded in a flood-hit remote area of Gujarat's Navsari district were airlifted to safety by the Indian Coast Guard on Friday, officials said.

Navsari remains one of the worst affected districts in the state, which has seen extremely heavy rains this week, they added.

Chikhli here received 451 mm rainfall as per the 24-hour data shared by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), officials pointed out.


"At least 60 shrimp farmers were airlifted from a flood-hit remote area with the help of the Indian Coast Guard," Navsari Collector Manish Gurwani told.

Gurwani said airlifting was the only viable option as the floodwaters were too deep for National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams to carry out rescue operations.

Visuals shared by Gujarat Information Department showed ICG helicopters airlifting them from the tin roofs of settlements that were completely submerged in floodwaters.

In a post on X, the Gujarat Information Department said the Indian Coast Guard launched a rescue operation in Mendar village of Gandevi taluka following heavy rainfall. "Operations are underway on a war footing to evacuate the affected people to safer locations," the Gujarat Information Department added.

Teams from NDRF, SDRF and Army swung into action in flooded areas in Navsari. As many as 38,000 persons have been relocated so far, primarily from Navsari and Valsad districts, officials said.

Most have moved in with their relatives, while approximately 2,000 have been shifted to shelter homes, the officials informed.

A total of 352 people have been rescued so far amid heavy rains, they added.

Ambika and Kaveri rivers were flowing beyond danger mark, and Poorna river was close to this level due to heavy rainfall in Navsari district.

A total of 247 roads passing through the district were closed till 2 pm on Friday, as per SEOC.

Valsad, Navsari and Surat districts in the southern part as well as Ahmedabad and Kheda districts in the central part of the state recorded very heavy downpour in a 24-hour period ending at 6 am on Friday, officials said.