38 dead as monsoon havoc continues in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, July 18 (UNI) About 38 people were killed and one reported missing during the past two days,as the South-West monsoon continued to be vigour in Kerala.

According to official sources, the total deaths since June one in the monsoon related incidents rose to 161.

Crops stand on total area of 22,977 hectare had been destroyed which made the loss of Rs 108.98 crore.

Besides this, the loss related to infrastructure like road, electricity, water and health, in Alappuzha, Malappuram and Wayand districts were estimated to Rs 22.76 crore.

The maximum crop loss of 55,532 hectare was reported from Idukki district, followed by 2,532 hectare from Kasaragod.

As many as 1,583 houses were fully and 29,923 houses were partially damaged in the monsoon havoc and the total loss on this account was estimated to Rs 53.48 crore and Rs 156.49 crore respectively, the sources added.

The heavy downpour which is still continuing in most parts of the state on the second day, especially in the districts of Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode, forced thousands of people to leave their houses and shift to camps of the Government, as the low-lying areas were submerged under water.

The Government had taken all precautionary measures to tackle the situation and opened 290 camps across the state and shifted 23,840 persons to these camps, sources said.

The Government also declared holiday for schools in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.

Kozhikode, one of the worst hit districts, reported the maximum of six causalities today.

UNI