India steps up relief efforts in flood zone

Authorities raced to shift some 30,000 people to higher ground when the diamond polishing city of Surat in coastal Gujarat state was flooded after the Tapti river burst its banks, local officials said.

"Five columns of army have been called for assistance to provide succour to the people affected by the rains in the flood-hit areas," state water resources minister Narottam Patel told the Press Trust of India news agency.

Schools in the Gujarati city of Vadodara were closed after an alert was sounded when the water level of the nearby Ajwa lake rose to danger point, it said.