Two children die as rains lash Kerala

Kozhikode: Two children lost their lives in Kerala's Malappuram on Tuesday due to the rains after a nearby under-construction house collapsed onto their residence, PTI reported quoting police. Though the children - a baby girl of six months and her eight-year-old sister - were rushed to the Kozhikode medical college-cum-hospital, their lives could not be saved.

Heavy rains continued to lash many parts of Kerala on Tuesday, leading to people being evacuated from certain parts of Thrissur and Kozhikode to relief and rehabilitation camps.

The weather department and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has issued orange and yellow alerts for various districts -- like Kozhikode, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad -- of Kerala in the coming days up to October 15.

Orange and yellow alerts indicate very high and high intensity of rainfall, respectively.

Following the warnings and rising water levels in various dams and rivers of the state, district administrations -- like that of Thrissur, Kozhikode and Malappuram, have swung into action and began evacuating or shifting families, who were affected or those could be affected by the heavy rainfall, to relief camps.

Other district administrations, like that of Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, said they have geared up to face any calamities which could result due to the downpour and have cautioned fishermen and those living in low-lying areas to be alert.

The incessant rains also flooded or waterlogged many roads and low lying areas in the state, according to district level authorities.

The weather department has predicted 64.5 mm to 204.4 mm of rainfall in the next 24 hours in various parts of the southern state.

The SDMA, in its release, has said that those living in areas at risk of natural disasters during the rains should have an emergency kit ready immediately.

"Instructions for preparing the kit are available at https:dma.kerala.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Emergency-Kit.pdf," it said.

It has also cautioned people against taking selfies or standing in groups on the overpasses above water bodies.

The weather department had on Monday issued a heavy rainfall alert for Tuesday for several parts of the state.

It had said that a cyclonic circulation was present over the east-central Arabian Sea and it was likely to persist during the next three days and as result, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall was very likely in Kerala from October 11 to October 15