Heavy rains have been battering Kerala for over 1-and-a-half months as a result of which 43 people have lost their lives. The statistic includes 8 persons who died due to landslides in Kattipara in Thamarassery, Kozhikode on Thursday.
Seven people including 3 children were confirmed dead and 6 more are missing in Kattipapara, a small village in Thamarassery Churam in Kozhikode following a rain induced landslide on Thursday. On Friday, the body of 1-and-a-half year old baby girl Rippa Mariam was unearthed from the debris, taking the death toll to 8.
"The 8 who passed away in Kattipara landslide include Dilna (13), Muhammad Shahabad (7), Abdur Rahman (60), Jannat (25), Muhammad Jaseem (5), Hassan (67) and Jaffar (45) and Rippa Mariam (1.5).The six others who are missing are suspected to be trapped in the debris that accumulated with the landslide and rescue operations are going on," an official from the Disaster Control Room in Thiruvananthapuram confirmed to TNM.
In Malappuram, the body of one out of the 2 people who were missing in Nilambur due to rains has been discovered. A red alert has been issued to 6 districts, including Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod and Palakkad, due to the monsoons which are predicted to continue till the 18th of June.
Apart from the districts with a red alert issued, the state capital region too has sustained casualties from the heavy rains.
"In Thiruvananthapuram district 6 death have been recorded over this month due to rains. Two deaths, Deepa (42) and Krishnakumari (55) have been recorded in Neyattinkara. Ponnamma, a 51-year-old lost her life in Balaramappuram. Two others have also passed away in Kattaikonam and Kozhani respectively," the official stated.
In Kollam district, a 40-year-old Sunil Kumar lost his life after he was struck by lightning during the rains.
In Alappuzha, Vijayan (50), Vinu (42) and Suresh Kumar lost their lives due to the natural calamity. In Kottayam, a 50-year-old MK Varghese passed away due to the rains.
The government has issued a warning to fishermen to not venture out into the seas as the rains are set to continue in the state. Further landslides are expected in the hilly terrains of the state due to the intensity of the monsoons, the disaster control room stated.
Several roads in Wayanad and Kottayam have been closed down due to the rains and flash floods. In the severely affected districts, schools too have been shut down and several schools are functioning as relief camps for those who have lost their houses in the rains. The control rooms are collecting information on those affected by the rains from the 14 districts in the state. Disaster Management squads such as the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) have been summoned to handle the calamity.