Representative image of rain.
Credit: DH Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: At least five persons were killed and many low lying places across the state were flooded after heavy rains lashed Kerala on Friday. Extensive damages were also caused to houses in heavy winds and high tides.
State revenue minister K Rajan said that according to IMD heavy rains would continue across the state till June 5. The westerly winds are also expected to continue over Kerala for the next five days. A high alert has been sounded in the hilly places and near the river banks, he said.
The Indian Meteorological Department sounded red alert in eight districts and orange alert in the remaining six districts on Friday. Yellow alert has been sounded across the state for Saturday.
While two youths drowned during fishing in Kottayam district, a fisherman was killed after his fishing boat capsized in high tides in the sea off Thiruvananthapuram. An 85-year-old woman MGNREGA worker was killed in Kochi after a tree fell over her. A West Bengal native reportedly drowned in Kochi.
Low lying parts in almost all districts were flooded. Families were shifted to relief camps using dinghy boats. People living near rivers were also being shifted to relief camps. Over 2,000 persons were shifted to relief camps across the state.
Houses suffered damages across the state in the heavy rains as well as after trees uprooted in the heavy rains.
Many houses in the coastal areas across the state also suffered destruction due to high tides. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services alerted that there could be high tides ranging from three to 3.9 meters along the Kerala coast till 5.30 pm on Saturday.
The rains also caused extensive crop loss across the state.