Heavy downpours have caused severe flooding in the southeast Indian city of Chennai, prompting the closure of the city's international airport Wednesday.
The severe rains in Tamil Nadu state are responsible for 188 deaths in the last month, The Hindu and the BBC reported.
The rain is the worst the state has seen in 100 years, NDTV reported, with the regional meteorological forecasting further downpours over the next four days.
More than a dozen trains out of the city's station were canceled Wednesday, and hundreds of passengers were stranded after flash flooding hit the international airport's runways.
PHOTO Flights to & from Chennai remain suspended as flash flooding floods Chennai Airport. - @S118869
In some lower-lying areas of Chennai, the waters were neck-deep.
#ChennaiRains: In a desperate battle for survival people help each other https://t.co/il7BylomQW https://t.co/pbvqwRxzfh
Rainwaters also entered the city's tech hub, causing workers to be evacuated and major firms to shut down operations, NDTV reported.
Shutdown at Chennai's IT hub, companies struggle to send workers home https://t.co/iige0f4URs #chennairains
India's Ministry of Defense tweeted that three army units had been dispatched to the city to help in the rescue operations.
Army rescue teams helping residents of Chennai.
The navy is also on standby, according to The Hindu.
India's National Disaster Rescue Force has dispatched 10 teams — four of which are already in Chennai. The rest will arrive Thursday.
“At the same time, we are also requisitioning teams from Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh,” NDRF head O.P. Singh said, The Hindu reported.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said: "We have never seen so much rain and destruction in Chennai," according to NDTV.
The Hindu — one of India's oldest newspapers — failed to publish for the first time in 137 years as workers were unable to access the presses, the BBC reported.
Half-yearly exams in local schools, due to take place on Dec. 7, have also been postponed, according to The Hindu. Schools were closed Wednesday, and will remain closed Thursday.
Just last month, a week of nonstop rainfall brought Chennai to a standstill.