NDRF rescues 49 people stranded in resort amid rains in Thane

Mumbai/Palghar, Jul 7 (PTI) As many as 49 people were rescued from a water-logged resort amid rains in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Sunday, an official from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said.

A team from the NDRF used boats and life jackets to rescue people stranded at the resort due to flooding in the Shahpur area, the official said.

Similarly, 16 villagers were rescued by the NDRF and firefighters in Palghar district, a district official said.

A group of villagers from Chalispada of Saiwan in Vasai, who were working on their farms, got stranded when the area was flooded after water levels rose in the nearby Tansa Lake, said Vivekanand Kadam, chief of the district disaster management cell.

The catchment area received heavy rains in the morning hours, he said.

The NDRF and local firefighters were mobilised in the afternoon, and 16 people were brought to safety, he said.

As part of the monsoon preparedness, NDRF teams are deployed in parts of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts, an NDRF official said.

There are 13 teams with 32 to 35 personnel each in different parts of the state, including Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur.

Five teams are at the NDRF head office in Pune, he added.