100 Missing In Andhra Flash Floods; Sabarimala Pilgrimage In Kerala Prohibited; IMD Predicts More Rains Tamil Nadu

New Delhi: Flash floods in four Rayalaseema districts – Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, and Anantapur of Andhra Pradesh on Friday left 17 people dead,  while 100 persons are reported missing.

Heavy rains due to a depression formed over the Bay of Bengal triggered flash floods in the districts and brought lives to a standstill.

In Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, Saturday’s pilgrimage to the famous Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala was prohibited due to continuous rainfall and the rising water levels in major rivers.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IM) has forecast heavy rainfall for coastal Karnataka and North interior Karnataka and fairly widespread rain in many places across Tamil Nadu until November 23.

S. Balachandran, Deputy Director-General of Meteorology, Chennai, on Friday said the red alert for districts like Chennai and Tiruvallur had to be withdrawn as the cloud bands and their orientation shifted with the land interaction of the depression.