india

Updated: Nov 17, 2015 18:53 IST

It hasn’t stopped raining in Tamil Nadu for the last three days, thanks to the northeast monsoon. But with over 70 people dead and much of Chennai water-logged, the state hasn’t had it this bad in years.

On Sunday, somebody tweeted this as a joke:

Ola Cabs, though, took it really seriously. Ola now has boats ferrying people stuck in water-logged areas in Chennai.

There were trolls & jokes if @Olacabs can send boats & boy did they prove that they can. Awesome work team #Olaboat pic.twitter.com/resMQaU7Mv — Raja Venkatapathy (@RajaVenkatpathy) November 17, 2015

Love the way @Olacabs is going that extra mile with #OLABoat to rescue people. Hats off to you guys. #ChennaiRains pic.twitter.com/yuFoh3XS2a — Sanket B Mehta (@sanketbmehta) November 17, 2015

Each boat will be manned by two rowers and can ferry anywhere between five to nine people in a single attempt, says a press release issued by the company. On board, passengers can also find umbrellas to stay dry.

“We are working closely with local stakeholders to help ferry those stranded in water-logged areas,” Ravi Teja, business head of Tamil Nadu at Ola, told Hindustan Times. “Boats deployed by Ola will help ferry people to safer areas and in distribution of essential supplies like food and drinking water in affected areas.”

In case you’re wondering where an app-based taxi hailing service managed to get boats at such short notice from, Ola says that the vessels were provided bny the Chennai Sport Fishing Company.

Read | Army deployed in Tamil Nadu as torrential rains kill more than 70