Heavy rains continued to lash Nashik, Jalgaon, Amravati, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Pune districts of Maharashtra, claiming 170 lives in the past four days and prompting authorities to shift over two lakh persons to safer places, official sources said here today.A total of 2,77,393 persons have been evacuated from 3,419 flood-affected villages in 22 districts, according to an official of Maharashtra Disaster Management Cell.Godavari, Krishna and Koyna rivers are flowing above the danger mark, S C Mohanty, officer on special duty of Disaster Management Cell of Maharashtra, said.Two Army helicopters have flown to Thekwada village in Nashik district while two to rain-ravaged Surat in Gujarat this morning to carry out rescue operations, Brigadier P B Charak, DG Ops/Air, Southern Command, told reporters in Pune.He added that the Army has at its disposal 20 helicopters to carry out relief operations in flood-hit states within the jurisdiction of the Southern Command.
