Kerala rain: Heavy rain and flooding caused the road in Malappuram to cave in
As heavy rain continues to pound Kerala, large scale damage has been reported from across the state. 24 people have died in landslides triggered by rain since Wednesday.
On camera, in the Malappuram district, which is one of the worst-affected, a road can be seen caving in at Nilambur due to heavy flooding. As people stand on both sides of the road, with water flowing under it, first the two outer sides of the road cave in, and then finally, the middle portion.
Along with Malappuram, Idukki, Palghat, Kozhikode, Wayanad and parts of Kannur are the worst-affected. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has described the situation as "very grim".
The Army, whose help has been asked for by Kerala, has deployed three columns comprising about 75 personnel each in flood-hit areas of the state, news agency PTI reported, quoting sources.
Four teams of the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF have also left Chennai for Kerala. An inter-ministerial Central team is visiting the flood-ravaged area and Army support is also being mobilized from Bengaluru.
With water levels rising in various dams and reaching almost their maximum capacity, shutters of at least 22 reservoirs in Kerala have been opened to drain out excess water. Heavy rains for the past two days and release of water from the Idamalayar dam on Wednesday, resulted into localised flooding in low-lying areas in the northern districts of Kerala. The flood water also triggered landslides at some places.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken with Mr Vijayan and offered assistance to those affected. "Spoke to Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and discussed the situation arising due to floods in various parts of the state. Offered all possible assistance to those affected. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Kerala in the wake of this calamity," the PM said in a tweet.
With inputs from agencies