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Updated: Aug 28, 2017 21:39 IST

Two hundred Indian students are marooned in the Houston floods, with the University of Houston submerged in neck-deep water, and two of them are in an intensive care unit, according to the Indian embassy spokesman in Washington.

Efforts are on to ensure that relatives of the two students in hospital – identified as Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia – are able to reach them at the earliest.

US emergency officials said tropical storm Harvey affected 450,000 people when it battered Texas, leaving floods and a trail of destruction in its wake.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Monday that India’s consulate in Houston had informed her “that 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned. They are surrounded by neck deep water... We made efforts for delivery of food but US Coast Guard did not allow as boats were required for rescue operations.”

@CGHoust has informed me that 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned. They are surrounded by neck deep water. /1 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 28, 2017

We made efforts for delivery of food but US Coast Guard did not allow as boats were required for rescue operations. /2 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 28, 2017

She also confirmed that two students were critically injured and are in an ICU.

The Indian consulate general in Houston is arranging the rescue of the marooned students, officials said.

Anupam Ray, the consul general in Houston, posted on Facebook: “Monitoring a serious incident involving 2 Indian nationals at College Station. I have reached India in USA (Consulate General of India, Houston) and we are trying to provide whatever help we can. One of our consular officers will try and make it to College Station.”

In a subsequent post, he wrote that embassy officials had established contact with the students, adding that they would be evacuated by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the met office warned that Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, was set to result in more rain in Houston.

“What we’re seeing is the most devastating flood event in Houston’s recorded history,” said Steve Bowen, chief meteorologist at reinsurance company Aon Benfield.

(With inputs from agencies)