Heavy rains in north and central Gujarat claimed more lives on Wednesday, taking the total toll in the state to at least 27 since Tuesday. Banaskantha, Patan and Mehsana districts are the worst-affected, besides Kutch. Banaskantha alone reported nine more deaths on Wednesday. As rains eased off a bit, three helicopters from Indian Air Force (IAF) and Border Security Force (BSF), along with 15 teams — comprising 510 trained NDRF personnel and 180 jawans of the BSF — conducted relief and rescue operations in north Gujarat where hundreds of villages remained marooned due to large-scale flooding. Seven columns of the Indian Army have also been sent to Banaskantha.