Indian Forces Rescue Flood Victims in Gujarat

Troops in motorboats rescued 350 children from the second floor of their school dormitory Saturday after the floor below was inundated by floodwaters in the western state of Gujarat, where raging monsoons have killed at least 100 people.

Soldiers and police snatched the students from the threatening floodwaters in the village of Harup, 45 miles south of Gujarat’s main city, Ahmadabad, witnesses and officials said.

Hours earlier, all 354 passengers trapped in a train with water up to their necks were taken to safety.

The Indore-Gandhinagar Shanti Express’ passengers had been trapped since Thursday morning.

Passengers were communicating with officials via a cellphone, The Times of India reported.

“All the passengers have been saved by army soldiers and local police,” said A.K. Bhargava, Gujarat police chief. “All of them have been moved to safer places.”

The rescue was carried out late Friday and there were no casualties, he said.

Despite Bhargava’s assertion that the authorities had carried out the rescues, about 90 of the passengers reportedly were rescued after a man who, on receiving a cellphone message from his trapped wife, drove to dry land near the train and formed a human chain of local volunteers.

The civilian rescuers stood in the water and brought women, children and older passengers to safety, businessman Rajesh Seth said.

“It was my duty to help save others besides my wife and daughter. The authorities were not doing anything,” Seth told Reuters news agency.