Kerala on alert: 22 dead in heavy rains; Idukki dam opened after 26 years

The death toll in rain-related incidents over the last 24 hours in Kerala reached 22 on Thursday as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan postponed Saturday's annual Nehru boat race in Alappuzha following forecast for more rains.

"In the intervening night of August 8-9, 22 person died in various districts of Kerala due to heavy rain and landslides," said a Home Ministry statement, quoting Kerala Emergency Operations Centre.

As per the statement, the death includes 11 from Idukki, five from Malappuram, three from Wayanad, two from Kannur and one from Kozhikode.

Four teams of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) left from Chennai to Kerala at 1.30pm on Friday. An Inter-ministerial Central team is also visiting the flood-affected area and the Army support is being mobilized from Bengaluru, the



statement said.

Earlier, Vijayan, while talking to media, said rains have caused extensive damage to life and property across the state. 

"As we speak, the trial run of opening one shutter of the Idukki dam might have taken place," Vijayan said.

Arrival operations at Cochin airport resume 

Arrival operations at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) resumed nearly two hours after it was suspended in view of possible inundation in the airport area following a rising water level in the Periyar river.

The CIAL is situated close to the river. "As the situation is improved we are resuming all operations from 3.05 pm today," a CIAL spokesperson said. The CIAL had earlier stopped arrival operations from 1.10 pm, as a precautionary measure.