NEW DELHI, July 27: At least six people were killed in torrential monsoon rains in the western Indian state of Gujarat as the air force rescued marooned people by helicopter, a report said Sunday.

Hundreds of people were reported to be stranded in the normally arid Kutch district, which was lashed by the heaviest rainfall in nearly 50 years over the last three days.

The airmen also dropped food supplies in areas cut off by floods, a United News of India report said.

People hit by floods in nearly 30 villages, were being shifted to safer areas Sunday.

Heavy rains also lashed the eastern state of Orissa. The state’s Malkangiri district was totally cut off from rest of the country as rivers and streams in the area burst their banks.

Road links in neighbouring Koraput were also cut off leaving hundreds of people stranded.

Rivers were receding in the worst hit northeastern Indian state of Assam but more than five million people in the state still continued to reel under floods which had claimed nearly 90 lives there. Two million were affected in eastern Bihar.—dpa