At least 27 people have lost their lives in landslides and floods that were triggered by heavy rains in South India. Rescue teams have been scouring muddy debris for survivors while the military has been supplying emergency supplies.
The rains began to intensify over the weekend. Locals were cut off in parts of Kerala as the rains increased the water levels in rivers and flooded roads.
According to the officials, eleven bodies were found in the Idukki district and another 14 in the Kottayam district after the areas were hit by landslides and flash floods. Both districts were the worst-hit areas and officials fear that the number of casualties can rise further.
Both the National Disaster response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army deployed relief teams to help in rescue operations as several people are still feared to be missing.
Image: AFP
The state chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, requested the residents to exercise extreme caution even though the intense rainfall has somewhat subsided. Over 100 relief camps have been set up in the state to provide shelter to nearly thousands of evacuated people.
The Indian Meteorological Department said that the heavy rains that were caused by a low-pressure area over the south-eastern Arabian Sea and Kerala, were likely to ease on Monday.
Image: PTI
The weather department also predicted that some northern states including the Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are likely to experience “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in the next few days.
Image: AFP
Image: AFP
Image: ANI
Via: The Guardian