Coachin Airport suspends operations due to floods in Kerala
Cochin International Airport was shut on Wednesday following flooding in and around the area. All flights to and from the airport have been cancelled till Saturday, 2 PM. The authorities were forced to open 33 dams across the state as several parts have been receiving heavy rainfall since Tuesday evening.
The death toll in the state touched 67 as fresh downpour hit the state on Wednesday.
Those reported dead on Wednesday were a couple in Malappuram who were crushed after their house crumbled. Their six-year-old child is missing.
A person died in a Munnar lodge as it crashed. A 70-year-old woman in Ranni near Pathanamthitta was electrocuted as her house was submerged.
The floodgates of the Idukki dam were reopened late on Tuesday after the water level in the Periyar river and its tributaries flowing through Ernakulam and Thrissur districts rose menacingly.
A close vigil, especially on Idukki district, is being maintained by the authorities as the shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam were also opened at 2.35 am after its water-level crossed 140 feet.
Leaves of officials of the revenue department have been cancelled, authorities said.
People living in and around the dam were evacuated late on Tuesday.
Kerala has been witnessing heavy downpour since August 8, which is believed to have caused the worst damage to the state since 1924.
Over 50,000 people are in relief camps and the damages to crops and properties is estimated to be over Rs 8,000 crore.
The IMD has issued red alert in most places of the state, including Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasargode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Idukki and Ernakulam Districts till tomorrow.
