Maha rains: IAF chopper airlifts over 120 people stranded in Thane

The Indian Air Force on Saturday airlifted over 120 people stuck in different parts of Thane district in Maharashtra due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains, an official said.

While at least 70 people were stranded on the terrace of a petrol pump in Badlapur town, around 65 km from Mumbai, another 45 people were stuck at a private resort in Shahad, 46 kilometres away, the state disaster control room official said here.

Heavy showers since Friday night have caused the Ulhas river in the district to overflow, with water gushing onto roads in Badlapur and inundating many areas.

"A rescue operation was launched with the help of the Indian Air Force after we received a call at 11 am requesting airlift from the terrace of the petrol pump. An IAF helicopter was dispatched to the spot and also to the resort in Shahad. All of them have been rescued," the official said.

Personnel of National Disaster Response Force, local police, fire brigade, and disaster management force were deployed for the rescue operations, he said.

In another operation carried out by a helicopter-borne team of the IAF, nine persons were rescued from a rooftop in Kalyan in the district, an official said.

The building is close to the Ulhas river which has breached its banks, said the official.

While Thane city recorded 160 millimetres of rainfall till 8 am on Saturday, Murbad tehsil recorded 332 mm, while Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Amberanth recorded over 200 mm of rainfall each, the district collector's office said.