IAF helicopter rescues 3 people stranded in flooded Latur village

A day after heavy water discharge from the Manjara dam caused flooding in some places of Maharashtra's Marathwada region, an IAF team on Wednesday rescued three people stranded at an inundated village in Latur with the help of a helicopter, a district administration official said.

Following heavy rains in Marathwada over the last few days, the NDRF was mobilised and helicopters were deployed to rescue people stuck in some of the flooded places in the region.

Also read: Heavy rains, lightning kill 13 in Maharashtra; over 560 people rescued

On Wednesday morning, a helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) rescued three people, Nagorao Kisan Tikanare (50), his wife Rukmabai (45) and son Chandrakant (11) from Poharegaon village in Renapur tehsil, where they were stranded in the flood, the official said in a release.

After heavy showers over the last few days, rains subsided in Latur on Wednesday. Heavy water discharge from the Manjara dam on Tuesday following heavy rains led to flooding in some villages of Beed, Latur and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada, officials earlier said.

On Wednesday, 12 out of the total 18 gates of the dam were closed, which reduced the water discharge from the reservoir. In the last two days, at least 13 people died in heavy showers, floods and lightning in parts of Maharashtra with the Marathwada region bearing the major brunt of rain fury, while more than 560 people were rescued after the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was mobilised and helicopters were deployed, officials said on Tuesday.

Besides, more than 200 cattle perished or were washed away and a number of houses were damaged in torrential rains that lashed Marathwada over the last few days, causing havoc in a region which is considered a perennially drought-plagued area, they said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday forecast 'extremely heavy rains' at a few places in Marathwada in the next 24 hours. The Marathwada region in central Maharashtra which faced the rain fury comprises eight districts - Aurangabad, Latur, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Nanded, Beed, Jalna and Hingoli.

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