Nine dead in rain aftermath, yellow alert in 7 districts
As many as 7,844 persons accommodated in 203 relief camps across Kerala.
As many as 7,844 persons accommodated in 203 relief camps across Kerala.
As many as 7,844 persons accommodated in 203 relief camps across Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy rain continued to lash parts of Kerala on Saturday even as weather forecasts predicted a decrease in rainfall activity in the coming days.
The India Meteorological Department sounded a yellow alert in the seven districts-Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Malappuram on Saturday. The IMD warned that heavy rainfall (7-11cm) is highly likely to occur at isolated places in Kerala in the next 24 hours.
Nine more rain-related deaths were reported in the state and over 7,800 people have been displaced from their homes so far in the aftermath. The state disaster management authority (SDMA) said two deaths each were reported from Kannur and Kozhikode while one death each was reported from Alappuzha, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kasaragod districts.
The body of a youth who drowned in the sea at Koyilandy on Thursday night was recovered on Saturday morning. Body of Valiyamangat Puthiyapurayil Anoop, alias Sundaran (36) was recovered this morning from the sea shore near Uppalakkanty temple, adjacent to the harbour.
On Thursday night, Anoop was on the beach, 500 metres away from the harbour, when strong waves swept him away. Koyilandy fire force and fishermen were searching for him in the past two days. Sundaran, a beachside resident, belongs to the fishermen community.
As many as 7,844 persons have been accommodated in 203 relief camps opened across the state, it said, adding that 51 houses in the state have been fully damaged while 1,023 houses are partially damaged due to the intense rains and the resulting floods.
Earlier in the day, a minor landslide at the Gap road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway in Munnar blocked traffic. "The stretch will be cleared soon, but it will remain closed tonight. It will be open to traffic in a regulated manner on Saturday," a senior district official from Idukki said.
The Thrissur district administration had opened the shutters of the Peringalkuthu Dam earlier in the day and warned people living on the banks of the Chalakudy river to remain cautious as the water level may rise as a result.