Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Kerala, with the Western Ghats being the point of focus. Massive destruction was reported in Idukki and Wayanad districts. In Ootty, 580mm rains were recorded in the last 24 hours, one-fourth of the usual total rains received by Kerala in a year. At the same time, a landslide hit Rajamalai in Munnar of Idukki district on Friday morning. Early reports suggested that 20 houses were buried under the mud. Heavy rain has been lashing the area since last night, Manorama News, quoting residents, reported. It also reported that five deaths have been confirmed so far. Ten were rescued.
The incident happened at the Pettimudi Division of Kannan Devan's tea estate at Neymakkadu in Idukki. Intense rain and waterlogging are hindering relief operations, reports suggested. More than seventy people are feared to be trapped under the debris, police informed Manorama News.
Heavy rains and strong winds have been battering various parts of Kerala, uprooting trees and inundating roads and several homes; over 2,000 people have been shifted to relief camps. Nilambur in Malappuram was briefly flooded after the Chaliyar river overflowed and people in waterlogged areas were asked to shift to their relatives homes. As the heavy spells continued for the third day in Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded a 'red alert' for the hilly districts of Wayanad and Idukki.
Torrential rains, which lashed the eastern parts of Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram districts since Tuesday evening, has inundated several low-lying areas in many parts of the three districts. In Thrissur, trees were uprooted in various places due to strong winds and heavyrains lashing the district. In Chalakudy-Irinjalakuda region, trees and electric posts were uprooted with vast areas of rubbertrees and banana farm being destroyed. Trees fell on some shops and homes, damaging them.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said besides five deaths, six people were injured, 12 houses were fully destroyed and 735 houses were partially damaged. "Two deaths were reported from Wayanad district. One person there was drowned and another was killed due to tree fall. Two persons died due to tree fall in Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad while one was drowned in Kasaragod district. A total of 1,854 people were evacuated and at present there are 20 camps across the state," a senior official from SDMA told PTI.
-Inputs from Onmanorama
