The army and the air force swung into action to rescue marooned people in flood-hit West Midnapore district on Friday as heavy rains left 20 dead in nine districts of West Bengal.

Nearly 2,000 marooned people were rescued from the affected districts, including 350 from flood-hit blocks in Bankura district by the civil defence and the police, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said.

Army personnel in speedboats rescued 76 marooned people from Anandapur area of Ghatal, while IAF helicopters air-lifted people from Sankrail in West Midnapore district, Dasgupta said after reviewing the situation with Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee.

More army personnel have been asked to rush to Ghatal, he said, adding the army has also been requested to rescue the marooned at Moyna in East Midnapore.

The state government has sanctioned Rs 12 crore for rescue and relief operations in the affected districts of East and West Midnapore, South and North 24 Parganas, parts of Purulia, Bankura, Hooghly and Howrah and Kolkata.

About 6,500 persons were sheltered in 67 relief camps opened in the districts. Nearly seven lakhs people have been affected by heavy rains that lashed the state in the past four days.