Kerala floods: Rahul Gandhi visits relief camps

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday embarked on a tour of flood-affected areas in Kerala and spoke to people at relief camps, days after the deluge left a trail of destruction and death in the state.

Gandhi, who arrived on Tuesday morning from the UK, visited relief camps in Chengannur and Alappuzha. He would also visit some camps in Ernakulam district later in the day.

During his two-day visit to Kerala, he will also tour flood-hit areas of Wayanad and Kozhikode districts on Wednesday.

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted: “President of @INCIndia @RahulGandhi left Thiruvananthapuram this morning for flood-affected areas in central Kerala. His two-day visit will cover districts with the heaviest inundation over the last two weeks.”

In Chengannur, the Congress chief visited the relief camp at the Christian College and that at an engineering college. He spoke to people at both the centres.

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala and Congress's state unit president M M Hassan were among those present at the camps.

Gandhi will also be meeting fishermen and party volunteers involved in relief work.

According to data released this morning by the Disaster Management's state control room, 474 persons have died in the rains and floods since May 29, when the South West Monsoon set over Kerala.

with inputs from PTI