The navy, police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation employees on Wednesday launched rescue operations on a war-footing to rescue people stranded in buses and streets due to incessant rains.

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Police Commissioner A N Roy said over 600 people were evacuated from the affected areas of the city and moved to safer places.

Navy boats were used to rescue persons in some flooded areas of the city, he said.

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He said most of the children whose school buses were stuck in the rains have been rescued although some children were still stranded in suburban Andheri.

BMC commissioner J Joseph said that the city received over 660 mm rainfall within a few hours and the problem was aggravated with high tide and overflowing rivers in adjoining Raigad and Thane district.

He said the BMC officials along with railway officials had taken up cleaning to clear the drains and the tracks.

"The situation was bad in the suburbs," he said adding, they had arranged to ply buses for commuters who were stranded at Churchgate and Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

Food and shelter were provided to stranded people, he said.