Heavy rain: 18 deaths reported in Kerala, thousands displaced
Heavy rain slashes in Kerala killed 18 people in the last few days, damaged hundreds of properties and displaced thousands to relief camps, the state government said on Wednesday. Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre (KSEOC) pegged the number of deaths in the state on Wednesday at three and the total, since July 31, as 15, district EOCs of Thrissur and Kottayam additionally reported one and two deaths, respectively, later in the evening.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said 5,168 people have been relocated from disaster-hit and disaster-prone areas of the state to 178 relief camps. In a statement, it said 198 properties in the state were partially damaged and 30 houses completely destroyed in the rains from July 31 to till date.
Red alert has been sounded in six dams — Ponmudi, Lower Periyar, Kallarkutty, Erattayar and Kundala in Idukki and Moozhiyar in Pathanamthitta districts as the water reached the storage levels. The Central Water Commission said water levels in several rivers flowing through the state were rising.
