Kerala Reels Under Heavy Rains With 4 Deaths, Orange Alert Sounded In 12 Districts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the monsoon hitting the state in full force, Kerala continued to be battered by heavy rainfall leading to uprooting of trees, damaging houses and flooding the roads, forcing people to shift to relief camps.

Rain-related incidents in this southern state claimed the lives of at least four people, according to news reports on Wednesday. An orange alert was issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in 12 of the 14 districts in the state.

A sudden whirwind that struck Irinjalakkuda in Thrissur caused widespread damages, said reports. Several trees were uprooted and electric lines were also snapped following this.

According to IMD sources, the inclement weather is likely to continue till Saturday. The weather agency however said that the intensity of the rains now battering the state will probably subside in the coming days. The met department also flagged a yellow alert for Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram.

Reports in local media said that an autorickshaw driver died after the vehicle he was driving fell into a rainwater- swollen river in Pathanamthitta district. On Tuesday a 68-year-old man went missing after reportedly being swept away by a river overflowing with rainwater in Thamarassery of Kozhikode district.

Early on Wednesday, a section of a security wall of the central jail In Kannur, measuring around 30 metres, collapsed. Educational institutions in various districts, especially those that are marked for relief camps, have remained closed.

With the water level in many dams breaching the red alert mark, authorities were forced to open the shutters by stages to release water downstream. A few of the shutters of the Kallarkutty and Pambla dams in Idukki were opened from around 12.30 AM onwards, releasing 300 cumecs and 500 cumecs of water respectively.

Moreover, the shutters of Karikkayam and Ullunkal dams across the river Kakkad as well as Maniyar dam on the Kakkattar river in Pathanamthitta district had to be opened on Wednesday morning.

A high-level meeting of the state government was held on Tuesday to assess the prevailing situation. Following the meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cautioned people not to venture near water bodies and to stay away from mountain regions.

Considering the gravity of the situation, emergency operation centres at the district-level and taluk-level have been asked to operate round the clock.

On early morning of Wednesday, reports emerged of a grandmother and her grandchild going missing in Kuthirapuzha at Amarambalam near Nilambur in Malappuram district. They were said to have gone to visit the Amarambalam temple accompanied by three other family members. The missing persons have been identified as Suseela (60) and Anusree (12). The local residents came to know about the incident from the two children who managed to escape from the river. The family was reportedly living in a rented house near the temple during their visit. Rescue works are continuing to rescue them.

Meanwhile, district collectors announced a holiday for all educational institutions, including professional colleges in Ernakulam, Kottayam, Idukki, Thrissur and Kannur .

The collector declared a holiday only for schools in Kasaragod district. Meanwhile, the collector in Pathanamthitta district declared holiday for schools that were converted into temporary relief camps.

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