Eight people have been killed, and nearly 1200 are stranded in 40 flooded villages, as incessant rain continued to lash several parts of Madhya Pradesh for a third consecutive day, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday. In the last two days, over 7,000 people stranded in 454 villages of 12 districts were evacuated, as heavy rains hit large parts of the state.

As of now, 9,300 people are staying in 170 relief camps in the state. Three helicopters of the Indian Air Force are currently helping in the rescue operations. The state has demanded two more choppers for airlifting stranded people.

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“I informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the flood situation this morning. I spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh last night for help,” he said.

Chouhan said there was some let-up in the rainfall on Sunday, and the system causing showers has moved to western Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is expected in Indore, Ujjain, Shajapur, Ratlam, Dewas, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Mandsaur and Neemuch in next 24 hours. Authorities in these districts have been alerted, the chief minister said.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Bhopal centre’s senior meteorologist PK Saha said, a well-marked low-pressure area causing rains in the state has advanced over west Madhya Pradesh and (adjoining) eastern Rajasthan.