Rain claims 12 lives in TN

Normal life in Tamil Nadu has been severely affected again by heavy downpours, with the death toll due to rain-related incidents rising to 12 in the state.

“Another trough of low pressure with upper-air cyclonic circulation has been formed over Bay of Bengal. Under its influence, heavy rain is expected to occur during the next 48 hours,” said a senior Met official on Monday.

He said fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea as strong onshore winds from the south-westerly direction, with speeds occasionally reaching 55 km per hour, along the coast are expected to be prevalent.

The latest weather bulletin on Monday evening said heavy to very heavy rain would occur over southern coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next 48 hours. Isolated heavy rain might also occur over remaining parts of the state during the period.

Sankarapuram in the Villupuram district received the maximum of 12 cm rainfall over the past 24 hours, followed by Colachel in the Kanyakumari district, which recorded 11 cm rain during the same period.

Meanwhile, seven pilgrims were feared washed away in flash floods in a jungle river while they were on their way to a temple in the Sathuragiri hills of the Western Ghats.
The police said six bodies have been recovered so far, and a hunt is on for the remaining one. In other rain-related mishaps, five person, including a woman labourer, died in the Pudukottai district due to lightning. “Most of the people in low-lying areas of the state have been asked to evacuate immediately. Officials from the respective district administrations have reached spots to carry out rehabilitation work,” said an official from the Revenue Administration Department here.

Meanwhile, the rain, which also affected normal life in Chennai, has brought copious inflows to various reservoirs and lakes that supply drinking water to the people.