Heavy rains in Kerala leave 7 dead, cause extensive damage

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 23: Heavy rains that have lashed Kerala for the past three days have left seven people dead and caused huge damage to property in many districts, officials said Saturday.

The worst-affected districts include the capital district, Kozhikode, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Kollam, Malappuram and deaths have been reported from these districts.

Most of the small dams in these districts are reported to be full and small streams in most places are overflowing.

As many as 16 homes have been fully damaged while 89 homes have been partially destroyed and 27 relief camps have been opened at various places in the states, according to official reports, while the destruction of crops is yet to be accounted for.

"I have been living in this house for the past 58 years and never before have I experienced this sort of water, all around the place. The electricity transformer is also submerged and we have no current for the past two days. Our well for the first time in my memory is full. This is a really bad time for my family," said John Thomas who lives near Kottayam.

The rains this time have affected both low-lying and hilly areas.

"At a lot of places in and around my place, there have been caving of the earth and roads have become unmotorable. Trees have also been uprooted and the river near my home is in spate," said Gopi Krishnan of Kozhikode district.

Due to the heavy rains, many of the main roads across the state are in bad shape and are witnessing heavy traffic jams. The state administration is closely monitoring the situation and in some districts, all educational institutions are closed for the past three days.