Kerala has been witnessing dangerously heavy rains for several days, which has caused a lot of destruction in the state. As per the latest reports, at least 6 people have dies and several others have been reported missing due to the landslides that have been triggered by the heavy rains.
The heavy rains in the state left many citizens trapped and injured as the Kerala government turned to defence forces for assistance to conduct rescue and evacuation operations. Many parts of Kerala have experienced flash floods and landslides yesterday, due to the incessant amount of rain in the state.
As per reports, the six deaths in the state have been reported from Thodupuzha and Kokkayar in Idduki and Koottikkal in the Kottayam district. Officials have further reported that the rivers Meenachal and Manimala are now overflowing because of the rains, making nearly all areas unsafe and prone to floods.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that the situation in the state is getting “serious”, though weather forecasters have predicted that the rains will not get any worse than this. Till now, the dams in many districts have reached their maximum capacity while the hilly areas of the state have been completely cut off from the rest of Kerala.
Keeping in mind the current situation in Kerala, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Red Alert for five districts of the state- Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, and Thrissur districts. The IMD has also issued an Orange Alert for the districts Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad.
The IMD, in a statement, said, “Under the influence of the low-pressure area over the Southeast Arabian Sea, off Kerala coast, Kerala is expected to receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy falls till the morning of October 17. Isolated heavy rainfall is expected on October 18 and a further reduction in rainfall from October 19 morning.”
The rescue teams of the state police were not able to reach some parts of Kerala due to the rains. As several people were left trapped and defenceless due to the heavy rains in Kerala, rescue operations headed by the Army, Air Force, and Navy were conducted in a few districts.
Source: dnaindia.com