Thousands await flood rescue in India

TRIVANDRUM, India — Thousands of stranded people were waiting to be rescued Saturday and officials pleaded for more help as relentless monsoon floods battered the southern Indian state of Kerala, where more than 190 people have died in a little over a week and much of the state is partially submerged.

Heavy rains hit parts of the state again Saturday morning, slowing attempts to deploy rescuers and get relief supplies to isolated areas. Many have seen no help for days and can only be reached by boat or helicopter.

More than 300,000 people have taken shelter in more than 1,500 state-run relief camps, officials said. But authorities said they were being inundated with calls for assistance, local media reported.

Officials have called it the worst flooding in Kerala in a century, with rainfall in some areas well over double that of a typical monsoon season.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Saturday with the state’s top officials, promising more than $70 million in aid. While the central government has dispatched multiple military units to Kerala, state officials are pleading for additional help.

“Please ask Modi to give us helicopters, give us helicopters. … Please, please!” state legislator Saji Cherian said on a Kerala-based TV news channel, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

Modi said 38 helicopters had been deployed for search and rescue operations in the state, which has a population of more than 33 million.

“We all pray for the safety and well-being of the people of Kerala,” he said in a tweet.

At least 194 people have died in the flooding and 36 more are missing, according to Kerala’s disaster management office.

AP A truck takes people through a flooded road Saturday in Thrissur, India, in the southern state of Kerala.