The Centre rushed four more NDRF teams to Kerala today to assist the local administration in the relief-and-rescue operations for those affected by the incessant rains in the southern state.
"In view of the unprecedented rains and the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) red alert for several districts, four more teams of the NDRF are being airlifted from Pune to Kerala to strengthen the response," a spokesperson of the force said.
Till now, 14 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the affected areas of Idukki, Ernakulam,Palakkad, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Thrissur and Pathanamthitta districts, he added.
One NDRF team consists of about 45 personnel.
The NDRF spokesperson said the federal disaster response force evacuated 53 people in Kozhikode, 60 in Pathanamthitta, 115 in Ernakulam, 47 in Thrissur and 24 in Alappuzha today.
"The force is also assisting the state authorities in distributing the relief material," he added.
More From This Section
So far, the NDRF teams had rescued seven people and evacuated 685 others in the southern state, the spokesperson said.
The rain fury continued unabated today in Kerala, where 47 people have died so far. A red alert has been sounded in 12 of the 14 districts of the southern state.