Army Rescues 57 in Gujarat Floods; Relief Operations Underway Across State

The Indian Army on Saturday rescued 57 people stranded by floodwaters at Tata High School on Ring Road in Gujarat's Navsari district, as heavy rainfall continued to batter parts of the state. Separately, Army personnel also evacuated vulnerable residents from Sanduri village in the Madhuban Dam area of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The rescue operations were launched under the Army's humanitarian assistance and disaster relief initiative following distress calls from flood-hit areas. Responding to an emergency call, Southern Command deployed rescue teams to Sanduri village, where Army personnel worked in coordination with the civil administration and local volunteers to shift 23 vulnerable civilians to a designated relief shelter.

The Army said medical assistance was provided on-site, while essential rations and relief supplies were distributed to residents who remained in the village. It added that relief and rescue operations were continuing across the affected areas.

The flooding also disrupted road connectivity in Gujarat. The Ahmedabad district police announced the temporary closure of the Ahmedabad-Viramgam Highway after excessive water flow made the route unsafe. 'No vehicle from Sanand to Viramgam and Viramgam to Sanand is safe to ply over it. We are closing the entire highway for the time being,' the Ahmedabad District Police said, according to news agency ANI.

Ahmedabad district collector Bhavya Verma told the news agency that the authorities remained on high alert despite the situation being under control. 'We have also deployed Indian Army and SDRF teams along the Ahmedabad-Rajkot Highway. The situation is currently under control, though waterlogging persists in several areas. All administrative and rescue teams are actively deployed on the ground. A red alert for heavy rainfall remains in effect for Ahmedabad district tomorrow as well...' Verma said.

He said Dholka and Viramgam recorded the highest rainfall in the district over the past 24 hours, adding that rescue operations were being carried out with the assistance of the SDRF, police and the local administration.

Meanwhile, Gujarat deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi visited flood-affected areas in Umargam of Valsad district on Friday, where he reviewed the situation, interacted with residents and urged people to avoid rumours and follow official advisories.

Earlier this week, the NDRF rescued 67 people, including 25 women and 22 children, from floodwaters in Navsari's Sarikhurad village. In Tapi district, the SDRF rescued 11 stranded villagers, while in Surat more than 4,800 people from urban and rural areas were shifted to relief centres and safer locations as rescue operations continued.