Rains pound South India, 16 die in rain-related incidents over past few days

At least 16 people have died in rain-related incidents over the past few days in parts of South India, even as torrential rains, gusty winds and landslips left a trail of destruction and disrupted train and road transport services Thursday.

Four deaths were reported from Kerala and three in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

An alert has been sounded in four districts of Kerala where heavy rains, squally winds and widespread landslips have wreaked havoc in several areas after the second spell of the south-west monsoon intensified.

Over 2000 people have been shifted to relief campson Thursday, according to officials.

In Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, a third warning signal was raised as the flood level at Gotta Barrage on River Vamsadhara crossed 1.11 lakh cusecs.

Torrential rains battered hilly Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu.

In Karnataka, 43,858 people from affected districts in northern, coastal and Malnad have been evacuated by rescue teams comprising Fire and Emergency department, State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force and Army, official sources said.

Nine people have been killed in various rain-related incidents, with Belagavi suffering the maximum casualty of six, authorities said. As many as 40,180 people have been evacuated in the district.

Two persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Uttara Kannada district, from where 3,088 people have been evacuated till date, and one in Shivamogga, according to official figures.

District administrations are on high alert and are prepared to tackle any emergency arising out of heavy discharge from reservoirs, an official statement said.

"The flood situation is under control," it added.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is currently camping in Belagavi, supervising relief and rescue operations.

On Thursday, he visited rain-affected Shivajinagar and Gandhinagar areas in the district.

The Belagavi district administration has declared holiday for schools and colleges till August 10.

In Kerala, a 'red alert' has been sounded in Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad, IMD sources said.

The Army has swung into action for relief and rescue operations in Wayanad and Coorg, a defence release said.

Road transport and train services were disrupted across Kerala and all passenger trains have been cancelled, railway sources said.

Almost all trains are running late,according to sources.

Water level is rising in most rivers and dams across the state with Kannur, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kasaragod districts facing flood-like situation.

Water entered the famous Lord Shiva temple situated on the banks of the Periyar. Seventy-five per cent of the temple structure is currently under water, according to authorities.

Major rivers like Manimala, Meenachal, Moovattupuzha, Chaliyar,Valapattanam,Iruvazjinjpuzha and Pamba are in spate.

A 50-year-old man was killed in Attappadi, a tribal hamlet in Palakkad district, after a tree fell on his house while a one year-old girl died following landslip in Idukki Thursday.

A 26-year-old woman from Odisha, who was injured after a tree fell on the house where she was staying,died in Idukki.

Another death was reported from Kannur when a 58-year-old man drowned when he fell into a stream, sources said.

The state government has asked tourists not to travel to high range areas including Idukki while restrictions have been imposed in Ponmudi,a hill station near Thiruvanathapuram.

Torrential rains lashed Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts with rivers overflowing, inundating many low-lying areas.

Nilambur, a major town in Malappuram, has been flooded with water rising up to the first floor of many buildings.

Only roofs of shops and houses could be seen in many parts of the submerged town, where people had to use country-made boats and large metal vessels to row themselves to safety.

Munnar, a high range tourist destination in Idukki district which bore the brunt during the 2018 floods, has been receiving heavy rain,according to reports.

Widespread landslips were also reported from across the district with most major roads getting blocked and Marayur, the sandalwood forest reserve, getting isolated.

Disaster Management sources said 32 deaths have been reported since the onset of monsoon on June 6 this year.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has chaired an emergency meeting of authorities concerned to evaluate the monsoon situation in the state.

"We have requested more NDRF teams to be sent to the state. Already two teams have been sent to Nilambur and Idukki," a CMO release said.

In Andhra Pradesh, heavy downpour in upper catchment area in Odisha resulted in copious inflows into Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers, the State Disaster Management Authority said.

NDRF and SDRF teams, besides Fire and Rescue Services Personnel, have been deployed in Srikakulam district for rescue and relief operation in view of the flood situation.

Eight relief camps have been kept ready to move in flood-hit people, if required, Srikakulam Collector J Nivas said.

Elsewhere, Srisailam reservoir on River Krishna continued to receive heavy inflow from upstream Almatti and Jurala.

In Tamil Nadu, heavy rains lashed Nilgiris, Theni, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts, filling water bodies including reservoirs in these districts.

About 100 families were sheltered in 16 relief camps in the high ranges of Nilgiris, where many areas have been flooded and left with no power supply.

In Coimbatore, two contract labourers were killed and another critically injured when the godown keeping railway parcels collapsed in the early hours Thursday, police said.

A 65-year-old man died after his house collapsed near Udhagamandalam following incessant rains over the past four days, police said.