Over 300 Dead In Kerala Floods, Landslides Hamper Rescue Work

Kochi: As many as 324 people have lost their lives due to rains, floods and landslides, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted on Friday.

Over 2,11,000 people have been affected and more than 32,500 hectares of crops damaged, according to the Home Ministry’s National Emergency Response Centre.

The state has received 37.5 per cent more rain than normal since June. Relief from heavy rain is expected only from August 19, according to the Met department. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army and Navy have so far rescued more than 2,000 people. Landslides have turned some places into islands, and heavy rain along with it has made rescue work difficult, said sources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the state on Friday night and is expected to take stock of the affected areas on Saturday morning.

States such as Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi have announced relief packages for Kerala.

According to state officials, this crisis could have been avoided if the water from at least 30 dams would have been ‘gradually released’ a few days back. Currently, around 80 dams in the state are at full capacity, and the Idukki dam which is Asia’s largest arch dam, is releasing 10-15 lakh litres of water every second.

Kochi airport is closed till 26th August.