Ajit JainŽ TORONTO, May 10: About 15 Indian Canadian families are among several hundred people of Manitoba province's capital of Winnipeg who were forced to flee their homes to escape the rampaging waters of the Red River.

The river has swollen 24.5 feet above its normal level and has inundated 2,000 km along its course right through North Dakota in the US to Manitoba province in Canada, where a total of more than 100,000 people have had to be evacuated. The river's width has increased to 70 km, turning the Red River into another Red Sea.

Hemant Shah, a local businessman, is amongst the Indians evacuated. When the river started inundating southern parts of Winnipeg, where his house is located, Shah was in Mumbai leading a local business delegation to India. By the time he got back his family had been evacuated from their home and he moved into his brother's home. ``It's amazing how all my friends and others helped my family in my absence,'' he said.

Local authorities said the families evacuated would not be allowed to return home for another two weeks as the level of the river has not yet gone down. ``We have some tough days and weeks ahead of us,'' said Winnipeg Mayor Suzan Thompson.

The government has deployed 10,000 soldiers who, with the help of volunteers, have piled up 6.5 million sandbags along with river as makeshift dykes.

The flood victims would have to pay 20 per cent of the damage to their property out of their own pockets and then claim up to $100,000 from the provincial government. The Red River starts from warmer climates in Minneapolis in northern U.S. And makes its way through the southern parts of colder Canada to Lake Winnipeg.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.