The army, navy and air force were today pressed into relief and rescue efforts as the century's heaviest rains continued to batter Mumbai, Raigad and parts of Maharashtra's Konkan region claiming more than 100 lives so far. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said 99 people were killed in rains in the state. Mumbai and parts of Konkan region remained cut off from rest of the country. In the worst-hit Raigad district, 45 people were killed, 22 in Mumbai, 16 in Navi Mumbai, six in Ratnagiri, eight in Thane and two in Beed, the Chief Minister said. Police and fire brigade sources said 11 more people were killed in a wall collapse in suburban Andheri and in rain-related incidents in the city. Rescue teams today managed to access Jui village of Raigad district where 100 people are feared killed in a landslide that razed 20 houses yesterday. The country's financial capital remained totally paralysed as rains battered the metropolis for the second day bringing rail and air traffic to a halt. Pointing out that such heavy rainfall has not occured in 100 years, Deshmukh said 5,000 personnel of the army, navy and air force joined rescue and relief operations in flood-hit areas and four naval helicopters were pressed into service in Raigad and Thane districts and Mumbai where a special navy helicopter was deployed for carrying diving teams with inflatable boats and rescue equipment in suburban Santa Cruz. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to make an aerial survey in Raigad and Thane districts tomorrow, official sources said.
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