Chennai: Race to rescue India flood victims

The submerged airport in Chennai, IndiaAFP

The city's airport will remain closed until Sunday

A massive rescue operation is under way to reach stranded people in the flood-hit southern Indian city of Chennai (Madras).

More than 2,000 people have been rescued by the army, while the navy has decided to deploy a warship carrying divers, boats and relief material.

The city's airport will remain closed until Sunday and train services are suspended.

A depression in the Bay of Bengal has triggered rains in coastal areas.

Last month, non-stop rain for nearly a week brought the city to a standstill.

Sanjoy Majumder reports from Chennai

Three days of fresh rains have again led to massive flooding, inundating homes, hospitals, roads, railway tracks and the city's airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted that he was "leaving for Chennai to take stock of the situation arising due to the devastating floods".

Schools, colleges and factories are shut, exams postponed and power supply suspended in most parts of the city.

Authorities said all flights to and from Chennai have been cancelled as the city's international airport will remain shut until Sunday.

A naval air base at Arakkonam, 70km (43 miles) from the Tamil Nadu state capital, will now be used as an alternative airport for relief operations.

"The biggest challenge is to find a way to clear the inundated airport and main roads," Anurag Gupta of the National Disaster Management Authority told the Reuters news agency.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered rescue teams and paramilitary forces to launch an extensive relief and rescue operation in Chennai.

The federal weather office has predicted three more days of torrential rain in the southern state, where nearly 70 million people live.

"There will be no respite," weather official Laxman Singh Rathore told reporters.

A total of 269 people are now known to have died in floods in Tamil Nadu state since last month.

Indian policemen rescue people from flood waters in Chennai, India, 02 December 2015.Indian policemen rescue people from flood waters in Chennai, India, 02 December 2015.EPA

More than 2,000 flood-affected people have been rescued

Indian bystanders and travellers gather as floodwaters lap at the end of a highway in Chennai on December 2, 2015.AFP

Non-stop rain for nearly a week has brought the city to a standstill

Rescue workers carry food in a boat to distribute to people trapped in a flooded residential area in Chennai, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015AP

Rescue workers are distributing food in affected areas

Indian rescue personnel and police officials paddle an inflatable boat through floodwaters as they evacuate residents in Chennai on December 2, 2015AFP

Thousands of people have been rescued by the army and police

A man stands next to a flooded railway track as it rains in Chennai, India, December 2, 2015.Reuters

Train services have been suspended after railway tracks were flooded

People travel on a boat as they move to safer places through a flooded road in Chennai, India, December 2, 2015.Reuters

People are using boats to travel to safer places

A temple is submerged in flood waters in Chennai, India, 02 December 2015.EPA

A temple submerged in flood waters in Chennai

Indian residents attempt to push a vehicle through floodwaters as others wade past in Chennai on December 2, 2015.AFP

The federal weather office has predicted three more days of torrential rains

line

Are you in Chennai? Have you been affected by the flooding? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

More on this story