JOIN USMonsoon claims 7 lives in Kerala
Two persons each were killed in Kannur and Kollam districts whereas one person each died in Wayanad, Palakkad and Kozhikode.
Landslips were reported from Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad districts disrupting road traffic along the Ghat sections of the Kozhikode-Mysore highway.
The road blocks which were reported from a couple of hair pin bends along these roads on Wednesday were yet to be removed fully till Thursday evening. Several sections of the Bathery- Mysore and Bathery-Ooty roads were water-logged making traffic difficult. Two units of the National Disaster Management Force have reached Kozhikode to undertake relief operations.
Several rivers were also flowing above the danger mark as the southwest monsoon became vigorous over the State with most places receiving heavy rainfall.
Vythiri in Wayanad recorded the heaviest rainfall of 25 cm followed by Munnar, 16 cm, Ambalavayal and Kupadi, 14 cm and Kannur, 13 cm. Revenue Minister K P Rajendran said here that 21 people had died in the last ten days in monsoon related incident and the losses had been estimated to the tune of Rs 14 crore. The Met Office has warned of isolated heavy rainfall in the state during the next 48 hours. It also warned of strong onshore winds from westerly direction with speed reaching 45/50 kmph along and off Kerala coast and over Lakshadweep.
Orissa toll rises to 23
Official death toll due to floods in different rivers in Orissa has gone up to 23, state revenue minister Surya Narayan Patra said here on Thursday evening. The toll is expected to go up as many people washed away by flood waters are still missing.
Of the 23 confirmed floods related deaths, ten have been recorded in coastal Nayagarh district alone. The district has been worst hit by the current floods.
“So far nine districts have been affected by the current floods in the state. Situation continues to be grim in some of the districts,” Patra said, adding that collectors of all these districts have already issued strict instructions to provide adequate relief to the flood hit people. The minister who visited flood hit Nayagarh district on Wednesday further informed that as per the provision in the relief code, Rs 1 lakh each would be provided to the family of all the 23 flood victims. Meanwhile, the local weather office here said that many districts in the state would continue to receive rains during the next 24 hours though the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal which had triggered heavy rainfall and the current floods had weakened.
Army on standby
The Army has been asked to remain on standby as over 500 mm of rain has lashed Mangrol taluk of Junagadh district in Gujarat in the last 24 hours resulting in some villages being inundated and cut off from outer world. 0ver 850 families in Junagadh district were shifted to safer places as heavy rain eluded the northern region.