Kerala Floods: Five killed as heavy rain triggers landslides

Kerala, Oct. 17: Heavy rain in parts of Kerala has triggered landslides in Idukki and Kottayam districts. At least five people have been killed in rain-related incidents. The weather office has predicted heavy to very heavy rain till Sunday morning.

Weather experts attributed the intense spell, which saw many places recording more than 5 cm of rainfall within a span of two hours, to a ‘mini-cloud burst event’. Peermade recorded the highest rainfall in the state with 24 cm followed by Cheruthoni, Chalakudy and Poonjar, and at 14 cm. Six districts were put on red alert on Saturday. As per IMD’s daily monsoon report, Kerala received 74% excess rainfall on Saturday. Between Oct 7 and October 13, the state has received 166% excess rainfall averaging about 19 cm rain.

Several people were injured and displaced in rain-related incidents. Dams in many districts are nearing their full capacity and small towns and villages in hilly areas are cut off from the outside world. and Pathanamthitta are the most affected districts as of now. “The situation is grievous,” said chief minister Vijayan.

The IAF and Army have deployed their assets in Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta. Army personnel from Pangode Military Station have been rushed to flood-affected areas. Mi17 and Sarang helicopters are on standby to meet the
requirements at Sulur air base. However, due to bad weather, they could not be operated till late evening. All
bases under southern Air Command have been put on high alert in view of the prevalent weather situation, said a
defence spokesperson. A high-level meeting chaired by Pinarayi resolved to ramp up rescue operations in places hit hard by heavy rain. He asked officials to keep a strict vigil on the water levels of dams.

Meanwhile, three members of a family were killed and nearly eight people were missing following a landslide in Plapally in Kottayam. Another landslide hit Kokkayar on the Kottayam-Idukki border and eight people are missing.

Kerala Floods LIVE Updates: Death Toll Rises to 10 as More Bodies Recovered; Isolated Heavy Rainfall During Next 24 Hours, Says IMD

Several people have been injured and displaced while 16 have been feared dead as heavy rains pounded south and central Kerala causing flash floods and landslides in many parts of the state. 7 deaths were reported in Koottickal, one death in Kanjirappally and 2 deaths were reported in Thodupuzha.

In one of the heavy rains in recent years, the high ranges of central and south Kerala are experiencing almost similar to that of the situation the state faced during the time of devastating floods of 2018 and 2019 but authorities said everything was under control and there was no need for any panic.

Heavy rain in parts of Kerala has triggered landslides in Idukki and Kottayam districts. The weather office has predicted heavy to very heavy rain till Sunday morning. 10 people were killed and many others were missing on Saturday as heavy rain lashed south and central Kerala causing flash floods and landslides.

“The situation is really serious in some parts of the state. We will do everything possible to save lives. We have sought help from the army, navy and air force. Relief camps have been set up in the districts,” Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement.

The Central forces teams including 11 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), two Army and two Defence Service Corps teams have been deployed in Southern and Central parts of the states. The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur districts and an orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alapuzha, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts of the southern state.

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