Heavy rains over a span of few hours flooded many parts of Nagpur city, following which more than 400 people, including 70 students from a school for the speech and hearing-impaired, were rescued, said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavi on Saturday.

An elderly woman lost her life due to the downpours, he said.

Water gushed into homes and residential areas and roads looked like rivers after the city received about 90 mm of rain between 2 am and 4 am. The weather department has issued an orange alert in the district for the next 24 hours.

The administration has declared a holiday for schools and colleges as a precautionary measure.

Teams from the National Disaster Response (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were engaged to carry out rescue operations.

Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai that more than 400 citizens were moved to safer areas by NDRF and SDRF personnel. These include 70 students from a school for the speech and hearing-impaired and 50 girls from LAD College.

He said an elderly woman and 14 cattle lost their lives following the heavy rains.

The deputy CM said those rescued have been shifted to temporary shelters and provided food and other necessary things.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis spoke to the Nagpur collector to take stock of the situation. The CM directed authorities to give the required facilities to the people affected by the heavy rains, said officials.

Shinde also directed officials to seek additional teams of NDRF and SDRF if the water level increases in the flooded areas.

Fadnavis, who is from Nagpur, took to X in the morning to share that he was continuously monitoring the rain situation in the city.

“There has been incessant rainfall due to which the Ambazari lake is overflowing. The low-lying area around it is affected more due to this. Other parts of the city too are affected,” said his office on X.

The deputy CM has instructed the Nagpur collector, municipal commissioner and police commissioner to “immediately activate multiple teams for rescuing people who are stuck at few places”, Fadnavis’s office said.

Later, Fadnavis said on X that two units of NDRF and two units of SDRF, which were divided into 7 groups, had rescued 140 citizens. Similarly, 40 students were rescued from a school for the hearing and speech-impaired, he said.

The fire department is also carrying out rescue work, the deputy CM said.

Fadnavis also appealed to people not to believe in any rumours.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has advised people not to step out of their homes unless necessary. Due to continuous rains, many city roads are waterlogged, it said waterlogged.

The Nagpur centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said “severe/moderate thunderstorm with lightning” will likely continue at isolated places in Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia districts. There is also a possibility of “intense rain at isolated places” in these areas, it said.

Light to moderate rainfall is likely to occur at many places in Wardha and some parts of Chandrapur, Bhandara and Gondia districts.

Light rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places over Amravati, Yavatmal and Gadchiroli, it added.

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