Three persons - Raju Mahadeo Gedam, Ashok Dashrath Sawai and Chandrabhaga Raut - were washed away in Sarangpuri gorge in Arvi, in the wee hours today, police said.
While one body has been recovered, efforts were on to locate the other two, they said.
Over 100 livestock were also swept away amid severe downpour.
"All the affected families have been shifted to safer places and district administration is providing food, clothes and shelter to them and is also keeping a close watch on the situation," Wardha Collector Jaishri Bhoj told PTI.
The victims have been provided shelter in schools and other places and the entire civic and police machinery has been pressed into service, she said.
The taluka received a record of 210 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours, she added.
The exact amount of loss to property, cattle and other establishments would be known after a thorough survey, Bhoj added.