Maharashtra floods: Toll rises to 29

As heavy rains continued to batter various regions of Maharashtra, twenty-nine people have lost their lives due to floods in Pune division so far.

Around 2.85 lakh people have been displaced due to floods in the state. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has rescued over 3,500 people in Kolhapur so far.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Mumbai has said that there is a very likely enhancement of rainfall over parts of Konkan and central Maharashtra over the next two days.

Twenty-two rescue teams are deployed in Kolhapur, comprising five teams of NDRF, 14 of the Navy, and one each of Coast Guard, Army and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). In Sangli, a total of 11 teams are deployed in which eight are of NDRF, two of Coast Guard and one of Army.

The state has demanded five more NDRF teams to tackle the wrath of floods in the state.

Rescue and relief operations are underway in the rain-affected areas of the state.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had conducted an aerial survey of Sangli and Kolhapur to take stock of the situation. Ministers Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, and Eknath Shinde had accompanied Fadnavis.