Normalcy returns to flood-hit Kerala; toll touches 104

With abatement of rains, sun brought some respite to flood-hit Kerala on Thursday as water receded in many low-lying areas and the state began to return to normalcy, even as the toll in the second spell of the south-west monsoon rose to 104 with 36 missing.

There was no 'red alert' warning in any of the 14 districts of the southern state as the intensity of rains decreased.

An 'orange alert' (isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall) was sounded in northern districts of Kannur and Kasaragod on Thursday while'yellow alert' (heavy rainfall) has been issued in Idukki, Kannur and Kasaragod for Friday, IMD authorities said. Search operations continued at Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Wayanad, where a series of landslides had wiped out two villages last week, to trace those who were feared to have been buried alive.

It was comparatively a sunny day at Puthumala, where earth-movers and sniffer dogs were engaged in tracing the missing people. Drones were engaged in search operations at Kavalappara.

A government update at 3 PM said a total of 104 people lost their lives across the state in floods and landslides, triggered by the second spell of monsoon, since August 8.

Though people have started shifting to their homes in many places, there are 1,75,373 still sheltered in 1,057 relief camps.

Northern Malapuram district accounted for most deaths with toll there rising to 43 on Thursday and 28 people still missing, followed by Kozhikode (17), Wayanad (12 deaths, 7 missing), Kannur 9 and Thrissur 9 deaths, it said. According to the government update, a total of 11,901 houses have been partially damaged and 1115 fully damaged.

The state government had on Wednesday announced a package of flood compensation with an immediate financial aid of up to Rs 10,000 each to all calamity-hit families.