Idukki/Kochi:
13 people died today and several were reportedly missing in landslides triggered by heavy rains in Idukki and adjoining districts of Kerala, forcing closure of Cochin International Airport as the runway was water-logged. Relief and rescue operations are on.
Here are the latest updates:
Four National Disaster Relief Force teams of 40 personnel each have been rushed to Kerala. Two teams of the Indian Army and one from the Indian Navy have been called to speed up relief and rescue operations in Idukki and Aluva areas near Kochi where Periyar river is overflowing.
The government has announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation to each of the families of those killed. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy addressed a special cabinet meeting to overlook relief and rescue operations. The Chief Minister is expected to visit the affected areas tomorrow.
Mr Chandy said some 20,000 people hit by incessant rains and floods have been shifted to relief camps in Idukki as well as Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts. The government has allotted Rs 84 crore for relief works.
Five people engaged in relief work were killed as a huge block of rock and rubble came crashing down on them at Chiyyampara near Adimali. Rescuers are still removing the debris using earthmovers as more people are feared to be trapped under the rubble, police said.
The sandbanks of Periyar river in Aluva, where thousands are to converge to perform the 'Balitharpanam' ritual tomorrow on the day of 'Karkitakavavu', is flooded and the Shiva temple there almost submerged. Authorities have decided to construct 'Bali tharas' on the roadside near the Shiva temple to enable devotees to perform 'Balitharpanam' on the occasion of 'Vavu Bali' tomorrow.
The Cochin international airport will remain closed till tomorrow evening as taxi bays and parking bays continue to be water-logged. All incoming flights were diverted to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode and departures from Kochi were cancelled.
Air India Express sources told PTI that at least 20-25 domestic flights and an equal number of international flights have been affected due to the closure of the airport. The airline today cancelled its Kochi-Doha-Bahrain via Kozhikode and Kochi-Kuwait via Mangalore flights from Kochi and the passengers have been asked to re-book after two days.
This morning, the Saudi Airlines flight from Kochi was diverted to Chennai and the Spicejet Mumbai-Kochi flight to Coimbatore.
Heavy rains continue to lash many parts of the state and the Met department has cautioned fishermen against venturing into the sea. The IMD said in its forecast that heavy rainfall exceeding 7 cm to 13 cm may occur in the region till the morning of August 7.
About 367.7 hectares of crop area have been affected by the rains, official sources said. The state government would take a decision on the compensation to be paid for the loss of property and crops.
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