Thiruvananthapuram: As many as 20,000 people were rescued from flooded houses across Kerala on Saturday up to noon. About 4 lakh people have been relocated to relief camps, government sources said.
Twenty two helicopters have conducted 900 airlifts so far in Kerala. NDRF's 169 groups are on the field, along with 23 army groups and five columns of the Border Security Force, to rescue the stranded people.
Navy has pressed 84 boats into rescue missions, while the Coast Guard has engaged their 35 boats for relief operations. The Kerala Fire Force's 59 boats and 16 boats of its Tamil Nadu counterparts area also part of the rescue mission. The Odisha government is expected to send 75 rubber boats with the personnel to man it.
More than 500 private boats of fisher folks and volunteers are actively participating in rescue ijn flood-hit areas of the south-western state. The police have deployed 40,000 officers to shift people to safety. Fire and rescue department has 3,200 personnel engaged in rescue.
The relief camps have been supplied with food packets and medicines. The government has requested the public to extend full cooperation to the government and abide by the guidelines.
