Footage from Reuters TV depicted people trudging through waist-deep water that inundated vehicles and streets across parts of the state.
At least 28 people have lost their lives this week due to rain-related incidents in Gujarat, according to officials, as meteorologists from India and Pakistan warned of more heavy rains and strong winds approaching the coast.
“There has been no electricity for two days. My eight-month-old daughter and my mother, who is an asthma patient on oxygen, are suffering,” Prabhu Ram Soni, a resident of Jamnagar, lamented.
Since Sunday, over 18,000 people have been evacuated from coastal cities, disaster management officials reported.
The army has joined relief efforts in the region, which was hit last year by cyclone Biparjoy, leading to severe damage and the evacuation of 180,000 residents.
Intense rainfall also hit Jamnagar, which houses the world’s largest oil refinery complex owned by Reliance, along with a nearby refinery operated by Nayara Energy, supported by Russian entities like Rosneft.
Despite the severe weather, both refineries remain operational, according to district collector B.K. Pandya, who emphasized that rescue efforts were the main priority.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that a deep depression off Gujarat’s coast is expected to strengthen into a cyclonic storm by Friday but is projected to move away from India over the next two days.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s weather agency has advised fishermen to avoid the sea until Saturday. Gujarat’s Bharuch, Kutch, and Saurashtra districts are forecast to receive extremely heavy rainfall on Friday.
Flash floods, triggered by heavy rains, hit Karachi, Pakistan’s key port city, leading to widespread power outages, as reported by local media.
Authorities also issued warnings for potential flash floods in two districts of Sindh province, an area still grappling with the aftermath of the 2022 floods that severely impacted the country’s economy.