Rain and flood leave trail of destruction across four states, dozens dead

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The Indian Army said it has rescued around 6000 people and more than 15000 have been evacuated from flood-affected areas in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu till late Friday.

Kerala is reeling under a devastating flood triggered by incessant rain over the past few weeks. A red alert has been sounded in seven districts of the state where more than 42 people have died and 50 more are feared trapped in debris after landslides swept away villages.

A total of 123 rescue teams have been deployed in 16 districts across the four affected states for relief and rescue operations, the army said.

The defence PRO said that all 14 Navy teams in Kolhapur have proceeded for rescue operations at Shiroli village near Kolhapur from 6 am Saturday,

An areal view of flooded Kochi city after heavy rain.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, tweeted that she was headed to North Karnataka.

Nirmala Sitharaman

On my way to North Karnataka. Floods are causing severe disruption to our daily lives.

The Indian Navy said its teams deployed in Mallapur village near Kadra and Kaiga in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka evacuated over 750 people on Friday, bringing the total number of rescued personnel in this area alone to 2219.

“In view of rising water level of Tunga river, the public is requested to move from their houses to nearest relief camps,” ANI quoted Shimoga City Corporation Commissioner, Charulata Somal as saying.

Floods have ravaged five districts of Western Maharashtra, displacing some 2.85 lakh people. More than 2.5 lakh people of Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara have been shifted to safer areas.

Twenty-nine people have died, while crops on more than 1 lakh hectares, worth at least ₹200 crore, have been lost. The loss of infrastructure in terms of schools, electricity supply machinery and livestock is expected to run into hundreds of crores of rupees.

At least 239 villages in Kolhapur and 90 in Sangli are among the worst-hit, with thousands more still stranded.

At least five people were killed and hundreds evacuated till late Friday even as heavy rains lashed the districts of Nilgiris and Coimbatore adjoining the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu.