The flood situation in Kerala further worsened on Wednesday with many areas inundated and flight operations suspended till Saturday at the Kochi airport, as the toll rose to 67 with rain fury claiming 25 lives.
Officials said a red alert has been sounded in all the 14 districts of the State.
From Kasaragod in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south, rivers are in spate and shutters of 35 dams, including Mullaiperiyar, have been opened.
“The toll in rain-related incidents since August 8 mounted to 67 with 25 deaths reported today,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
Eleven deaths were reported from Malappuram alone, officials said.
Vijayan said the heavy rains will continue for some more days, which will further worsen the situation.
More than 1.5 lakh people have been lodged in relief centres across the State, he said.
PM assures all help
A government release said Vijayan spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the grave situation the State was facing.
The Prime Minister has assured all help, it said. He has taken a “positive stand” towards the State on relief measures, Vijayan told reporters.
Train services have been disrupted and road transport services in disarray with vast stretches of roads under water.
Holiday
Officials said a holiday has been declared for educational institutions in all districts barring Kasaragod on Thursday while colleges and universities have postponed exams.
Power supply, communication systems and distribution of drinking water have been disrupted in various parts of the State. As the situation worsened, the State government sought the help of more teams of army personnel, National Disaster Response Force and Army Engineering.
The Chief Minister also met Governor P Sathasivam and apprised him of the situation.
Major tourist centres including Athirappally, Ponmudi and Munnar, which were expecting huge influx of visitors in the wake of Onam festival season, have shut down.
The Kochi international airport announced a shutdown till Saturday after the airport area was inundated.
As flights were being diverted or suspended, the State government decided to seek the Centre’s permission to allow small aircraft to land at the Naval airport in Kochi.
Airlines including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet have suspended operations to Kochi.
A landslide between Kuzhithurai and Eraniel train stations has delayed four long-distance trains, Railway sources said adding a few passenger trains have also been hit.
There were also speed restrictions on trains on the Thiruvananthapuram-Thrissur section while rail traffic on the Kollam-Punalur-Sengottai section has been suspended.
At an urgent meeting, convened by the Chief Minister here to evaluate the flood situation, officials were directed to requisition maximum number of lifeboats from Tamil Nadu.