Kerala Floods: Death toll rises to 70, rescue operation underway

Kerala : Rescue operations by Indian Army and Indian Navy intensified in Kerala, Karnataka and Mahrashtra as heavy rains abated on Sunday.

At least 70 people have been officially reported killed in the deadly rains in Kerala. 140 other people have also been killed and over a million have been displaced in the three states in the past week, and three other states — Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh — are battling a crisis triggered by sudden downpours.

The MeT department said that the rains will further decrease on Monday.

The rescue officers have mentioned that the death toll is likely to increase with passing days as more landslide reports have been registered.

But the state government said proper preparations were helping prevent damage. Over 225,000 people were shifted to 1,550 relief camps, and water levels in major dams were not worrying at the moment, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.

“Well- planned efforts have helped reduce casualties,” he said after a review meeting in state capital Thiruvananthapuram, adding that the state was closely monitoring the situation in view of an India Meteorological Department red alert in the districts of Kannur, Kasaragod and Wayanad.