Eight people died and several more were feared missing in Kerala after torrential rain lashed the southern and central parts of the state ...
Eight people died and several more were feared missing in Kerala after torrential rain lashed the southern and central parts of the state on Saturday, The Hindu reported.
Six members of a family died and 15 persons were missing after landslides in the Kootickal panchayat of Kottayam district. A man and a woman from the Koothattukulam town of Ernakulam district died at the Kanjar village in Idukki district after flood water washed away their car.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a meeting to review the flood situation on Saturday evening, and said that the situation was a grave one. He promised all-out efforts by the government to rescue stranded people. He added that indications are that the weather will not worsen, according to The Hindu.
Officials in the affected districts have relocated scores of families to relief camps. In some districts, the Army and National Disaster Response Force have been deployed to co-ordinate rescue efforts, and the Air Force is also on standby.
The Southern Naval Command has kept diving and rescue teams ready to be deployed at short notice in the state. However, it said that search and rescue operations have been severely restricted because of bad weather.
Revenue Minister K Rajan on Saturday reached Kottayam to take stock of relief and rescue efforts, according to ANI.
The India Meteorological Department has...
