2018 repeat: Rain drowns Kerala, kills 28

Torrential rain continued to lash most parts of Kerala on Friday with the toll in the last three days rising to 28 in monsoon-related incidents, including two massive landslides, and over 64,000

people being shifted to relief camps.

At least 40 people are feared trapped under debris in major landslides that shook the badly affected districts of Wayanad and Malappuram, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. A year after Kerala was devastated by the deadliestmonsoon that led to the worst deluge in a century, the southern state was again at the receiving end of nature’s fury, prompting the government to seek the help of the Army and the Air Force.

Heavy rain triggered landslides while overflowing rivers caused flooding in several parts with the worst affected being hilly Wayanad, Malappuram, Kannur and Idukki in north and central Kerala. Vijayan, who reviewed the flood situation on Friday evening, told mediapersons that 28 people lost their lives in the last three days and seven were missing.

The Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad was likely to be opened any time in view of rising water level, Vijayan said.

A total of 738 relief camps have been opened across the State with over 64,000 people displaced from their houses by the floods and rains being shifted there.

Rescue and relief operations were on in full swing with the involvement of personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Police, the Fireforce and forest department.

Rail, road and air transport took a hit in the state with several trains being cancelled and the Cochin International Airport shut till August 11 due to water logging in almost 60 per cent region of its operational area. All flights have been diverted to the state capital for next two days.

Seven dams of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and six of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) have been opened in view of heavy inflows, officials said. Landslides and mud-slips have been reported from over 25 places in the state. The Met department has issued a red alert in Ernakulam, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur for Saturday. 

At least five people have died in rain-related incidents in The Nilgiris since Thursday night. A woman and her eight-year-old daughter were killed after their house collapsed on Thursday night. In another incident, two women were returning home after working in a farm in Nanjanad, when they were washed away while crossing a stream. They both had tried to cross a stream near Kuruthukulli, when they were washed away. The Fire and Rescue personnel retrieved their bodies after a search in the early hours of Friday. A labourer also died after being trapped in a landslip near Emerald dam. Early on on Thursday morning a 65-year-old man passed away after his house collapsed in the rain. A day after recording 82 cm rainfall, Avalanche created another record of sorts by recording 911 mm on a single day in south India.