Kerala rains Highlights: 9 bodies retrieved from Kavalappara landslide site near Nilambur, 40 still feared trapped

Heavy downpour in Kerala has claimed at least 57 lives so far, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a tweet. The state has been rocked by 80 landslides over three days and around 1318 relief camps are in operation across the state, which host over 1.65 lakh people. The IMD issued an alert for three districts —Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

A before and after visual of Nilambur town which was waterlogged until this morning. Nearly 75 per cent water has receded and people are engaged in cleaning activities to bring life back to normalcy.

(Express photo by Vishnu Varma)

Nine bodies retrieved from the landslide at Kavalappara near Nilambur out of which seven are female and two males. Seven of them have been identified so far and they were brought to the district hospital in Nilambur. At least 40 people still reported to be trapped under the rubble, a senior police officer informed. 

Wayanad District Collector AR Ajayakumar in a statement to ANI, said, "The situation is totally under control at present, there is no need to panic. Apart from a major landslide reported in Puthumala near Meppadi, no other such major incident has been reported." Meanwhile, IAF helicopters continue rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of Malappuram.

Around 75% water has receded from Nilambur town which was completely submerged water till today morning. People are engaged in cleaning slush and mud from their shops and homes. Bus transport to Nilambur is completely suspended and only trains are operating. Nilambur town is 30 km away from the major landslide site of Kavalappara.

(Express photos by Vishnu Varma)

CIAL has decided to resume operations ahead of schedule from 12 pm tomorrow as recovery works were found effective and the runway is intact with no marks or tears. The operations earlier were scheduled to resume at 3 pm tomorrow but in a review meeting which was conducted today at 2 pm, the officials inferred after thorough inspection that the airport is operational. Recovery operations in the T3 apron which is the most affected area, the partially affected T1 apron and that of a 100-meter portion of the southern Perimeter security wall which collapsed already began yesterday. Out of the stranded 8 aircraft, 6 were pushed back on the runway by using one taxiway link between 10 am and 12 noon today. All the 24 airlines have been briefed to facilitate services from tomorrow on schedule.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had tweeted informing that Banasurasagar dam's shutter would be opened at 3 pm today and said, "No one should panic. Residents on both sides of the Karaman Canal must be on guard. Steps have been taken to resettle those who live on the banks of the canal. And for those who have not yet moved, must resettle soon."

The Southern Railway on Saturday announced operation of special trains to and from Kerala, which is facing torrential downpour and floods, to clear stranded passengers. However, services remained affected in the Palakkad and Trivandrum divisions for the second day, with the Southern Railway announcing cancellation of 15 trains in these routes, covering various destinations. On Saturday, the Southern Railway announced the operation of specials between Ernakulam-Chennai, Chennai-Kollam and Bengaluru-Kollam. (PTI)

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Red alert for 8 districts and Orange alert for 6 districts of the state for today. A Red alert has been issued for 3 districts and Orange alert for 6 districts for tomorrow.

(Express photos by Vishnu Varma)

Operations at the Cochin International Airport to resume at 12 noon tomorrow.

Southwest monsoon has been vigorous over Kerala for the past four days. A decrease in intensity of rainfall is expected over Kerala for the next five days from today. A fresh Low-Pressure Area is likely to form over northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood around August 12, 2019. 

Rahul Gandhi would be visiting his parliamentary constituency Wayanad in Kerala, which is currently ravaged by heavy rains.

Train services have also been disrupted due to flooding and trees falling on rail tracks. Southern Railways has cancelled several trains, including the Kannur-Alapuzha Express, on Saturday. Many trains have been partially cancelled with routes cut short to avoid the flooded areas. Mangaluru–Nagercoil Parasuram Express has been cancelled between Mangaluru and Wadakkanchery, Mangaluru–Nagercoil Ernad Express has been cancelled between Mangaluru and Thrisur, Thiruvananthapuram–Hyderabad Sabari Express has been cancelled between Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore. The Kannur–Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express has been cancelled between Kannur and Shoranur.

Besides Wayanad, the continuous rains have triggered multiple landslides and overflowing rivers have caused flooding in several parts of Malappuram, Kannur and Idukki in north and central Kerala. Several areas in Thrissur and Kannur districts are waterlogged with many having been moved to relief camps. The deluge continues in the state even as it grapples to fully recover from the extensive damage caused by the floods of August, 2018 that claimed over 400 lives and left lakhs of people homeless.

Wayanad Sub Collector N S K Umesh, "The area is dangerous. What we understand is that 15 people are still missing," he said, adding search operations by Army and National Disaster Response Force personnel are underway. With water levels rising, there is a possibility of opening the shutters of Banasurasagar dam, officials have indicated. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said on Friday that the dam could be opened any time. The district administration is likely to take a decision in this regard after reviewing the situation this morning.

As Kerala continues to battle the torrential downpour lashing its shores, the death toll has risen to 42 in rain-related incidents, including flooding and landslides, with over one lakh people moved to relief camps, officials said on Saturday. Twenty people have been killed in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, and nine have died in Wayanad in rain-related incidents since August 8, officials said quoting reports received till 7 am. In 988 relief camps across the state, 1,07,699 persons have been shifted. In the worst affected Wayanad, 24,990 persons are in such camps, they said.

At the Cochin International Airport, Apron water level is receding. the cleaning operations have started. The airport also successfully carried out the ferry operation. Three out of eight stranded aircraft have been departed.

The Met department has issued a red alert in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

Shutters of seven small dams under the state electricity department and six others under the irrigation department were opened. The situation in Wayanad, where landslides were reported, is likely to become worse when the shutters of Banasurasagar dam are opened. People in flood and landslide-prone areas should move to safe locations as per the direction of the rescue workers, he said. Road and rail connectivity have been badly hit.

As heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in Kerala, the Southern Railways Saturday cancelled a number of trains and diverted a few due to disruptions in their movement. Incessant rainfall in the state has claimed at least 28 lives, leaving 27 others injured and seven missing. Check the train schedules here!

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac tweeted: Kerala, the Monsoon gateway to India , for the second consecutive year misses the rain in June- July and then come the downpour and floods in August. Drought gives way to floods. Climate change?"

Army personnel have rescued a newborn baby from flood-hit Wayanad.

The state disaster management authority confirmed 28 deaths till Friday evening. As many as 738 camps have been opened across Kerala, offering shelter for 64,013 people from 15,748 families. The situation remained grim as the IMD predicted extremely heavy rain in seven districts, especially in the northern region, for the next two days. The CM said rain is likely to subside after Sunday, but may show its fury again in Kerala after August 15.

The UAE has issued a travel advisory to its citizens who are either in Kerala or intend to visit the state to exercise extreme caution in the light of heavy rains, which have caused damaging floods in many areas and killed 28 people. According to the UAE's official news agency, Wam, the advisory urges the citizens to follow instructions issued by the Indian authorities in connection with the natural calamity. "In a second advisory, the Consulate, based in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, has urged the UAE citizens visiting Kerala to register with the diplomatic post so that it can keep track of them and ensure their safety and welfare," Wam said.

Extremely heavy rain continued to lash Kerala, wreaking havoc in the northern regions of the state, where a series of landslides and flooding were reported for the second consecutive day. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media that a hill in Malappuram district has come apart, and it is feared that 40 people are trapped under the debris. “So far, three bodies have been retrieved and two could be saved. Rescue operations are going on there even though accessibility to the landslide spot has been hamstrung by the adverse weather,” he said. Read More

A flood-affected boy carries his dog as he and others are moved to a safer place in Paravur in Ernakulam district in Kerala. (REUTERS/Sivaram V)

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spelt out statistics and said 28 people have died, leaving 27 others injured. Following the heavy rainfall, around seven people are missing. 

IMD predicts heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next four days. The temperature has been appreciably low from -3.1°C to -5.0°C. The off-shore trough at mean sea level from south Maharashtra coast to Kerala coast persists, IMD stated. 

Here is the list of trains that have been cancelled in Kerala by Southern Railways: 

1.      Train No.16343 Thiruvananthapuram – Madurai Amritha express train of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

2.      Train No.16188 Ernakulam – Karaikkal Tea Garden express train of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

3.      Train No.16526 Bengaluru – Kanniyakumari Island express of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

4.      Train No.16320 Banaswadi – Kochuveli Humsafar express of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

5.      Train No.12696 Thiruvananthapuram – Chennai Central express train of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

6.      Train No.22640 Alappuzha – Chennai Central express train of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

7.      Train No.16316 Kochuveli – Bengaluru express train of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

8.      Train No.16344 Madurai – Thiruvananthapuram Amritha express train of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

9.      Train No.16187 Karaikkal – Ernakulam Tea Garden express train of 09.08.2019 is fully cancelled.

Seven districts - Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur - have been given code red rain alerts for tomorrow (August 10) and predicted to get 'isolated heavy to very heavy' rainfall. Additionally, five districts have been classified under code orange alerts with 'isolated heavy' rainfall. The alerts have been issued by the Met Department. 

The state disaster management authority confirms that the death toll in the last two days in rain-related incidents has climbed to 27, out of which nine have been reported from worst-hit Wayanad district. 

At the same time, the number of relief camps has gone up to 505. These camps together house 43,665 people. The data is as of 3 pm Friday.

At least six persons died due to the flood in Wayanad Friday, including four men, one woman and a child, the Defence Security Corps (DSC) said. Around 150 people have been rescued, including a pregnant woman, while 250 have been moved to a safer place. The DSC also informed villagers across the overflowing Nallah in the same area are safe and have adequate food supplies. The people in the village will be rescued tomorrow in case the water receded in the Nallah.

Special passenger trains have been scheduled from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam which will leave Thiruvananthapuram at 4 pm today and another train from Ernakulam Town to Thiruvananthapuram will leave Ernakulam Town at 3 pm today, Southern Railways stated in their press release. 

Here is a list of trains that have been partially cancelled:

1. Train No.16606 Nagercoil – Mangaluru Ernad express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Thrisur – Mangaluru.

2. Train No.12617 Ernakulam – Hazrat Nizamuddin Mangala express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Vallathol Nagar – Hazrat Nizamuddin.

3. Train No.12522 Ernakulam – Barauni Raptisagar express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Wadakkanchery – Barauni.

4. Train No.17229 Thiruvananthapuram – Hyderabad Sabari express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Ernakulam - Hyderabad.

5. Train No.22659 Kochuveli – Dehradun express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Kottayam – Dehradun.

6. Train No.16346 Thiruvananthapuram – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Netravathi express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Changanassery – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

7. Train No.16382 Kanniyakumari – Mumbai CSMT Jayanthi Janatha express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Changanassery – Mumbai CSMT.

8. Train No.12625 Thiruvananthapuram – New Delhi Kerala express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Kayankulam – New Delhi.

9. Train No.19331 Kochuveli – Indore express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Kayankulam – Indore.

10. Train No.16650 Nagercoil – Mangaluru Parasuram express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Angamali – Mangaluru.

11. Train No.12076 Thiruvananthapuram – Kozhikkode Jan Shatabdi express train of 09.08.2019 partially cancelled between Chalakkudi - Kozhikkode.

Trains have been suspended in most parts of Kerala due to flooding, trees falling on rail tracks and consequent disruption of rail traffic, Southern Railways said. 

Here is a list of trains that stand cancelled: 

Kochuveli – Yesvantpur express train (Train No.22678),  Mangaluru – Thiruvananthapuram Maveli express (Train No.16603), Chennai Central – Thiruvananthapuram AC express (Train No.22207). 

Two trains have been diverted from their daily routes, including Kanniyakumari – Jammu Tawi Himsagar express and Kanniyakumari – Bengaluru Island express. Both have been diverted to run via Tirunelveli.

(Express Photos by Prashanth Chandran)

Mananthavady in Wayanad flooded after a heavy downpour. (Express photo)

The air base operated by the Indian Navy in Kochi has been opened to operate civil flights. The move comes after the Nedumbassery airport was flooded and it's operations have been suspended till Sunday afternoon (August 11).

Southern Railway officials have just confirmed that all trains from Ernakulam to Kozhikode have been cancelled as of now due to flooding of rail lines near Parli and Karakkad in Palakkad division. This will affect all commuters travelling to the Malabar region from Kochi. 

Also, all trains from Ernakulam-Kayamkulam via Alappuzha have been cancelled too due to falling of trees in that route. The  route via Kottayam is presently clear and some trains via Alappuzha have been diverted through Kottayam. 

If people wish to travel from Kochi to Trivandrum, they can either take buses through Alappuzha or trains via Kottayam. Dense commuter movement via Kottayam is expected on trains.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will go for a recce on Indian Air force helicopter from air force station technical area Shanghumugam by 4 pm.

Indian Coast Guard has deployed a total of 16 teams which include three teams in Beypore, two teams are already in full swing for rescue operations and another team has been kept as standby. They have already rescued 500 people. Ten teams are kept in readiness in Kochi and three teams are also standby in Vizhinjam.

All the bases under Southern Air Command have been put on high alert in view of the prevalent weather situation at Kerala. 12 helicopters including Mi-17 V5 and ALH are kept ready at Sulur airbase. Indian Air Force is working in close coordination with the state administration and sister services.

To assist the civil administration in rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of Kerala, the DSC Centre at Kannur had already moved one column (around 60 personnel) each of personnel to Wayanad, Kannur, Iritty, Kozhikode and Thamrassery in northern part of Kerala and Virajpet in the Coorg Dist of Karnataka. DSC personnel have already reached their respective areas and rescue operations are in full swing.

Pangode Military Station has deployed three columns at Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam. Out of these three columns,
two columns from 19 Madras and one column from 13 Garhwal are also undertaking the rescue operations. Army K&K sub-area at Bangalore is co-ordinating the entire flood operations in Kerala. In total nine columns are actively involved in the rescue operations.

Local television channels are now quoting people in Kavalappara in Malappuram district voicing concerns of at least 50 people missing after a landslide last night. This is an area to which roads have been cut-off due to mudslides. 

Local Administration minister KT Jaleel confirmed on Asianet News that the government is responding to calls for help from Kavalappara. He admitted that rescue agencies are unable to reach these places due to torrential rain and roads unsafe. He also said two bodies have been retrieved from a village near Edavanna in Malappuram district. Locals meanwhile say the phone numbers of some of the people missing are switched off. There were reportedly at least 30 households in the area. 

A team of Indian Coast Guard carry out rescue operation in  Kerala's Karassery

That's right. Relief camps, set up at schools, churches and auditoriums, are springing up every hour as we write this. As of now, disaster management officials tell us that 38,804 people are housed across 397 camps across Kerala. A total of 246 camps were opened in the last 24 hours. Wayanad, the most affected in the state, has the most number of camps. 

The situation, frankly, is not as bad as last year. But if rains continue to pour down in this fashion, especially in the northern districts, things are going to get worse and on-par with the situation last year. If the central and southern districts were affected the most last year, this time, it's the Malabar region in the north that's under water. 

Teams of disaster management, revenue, irrigation, police, fireforce and the electricity department are on the ground, deployed across the state doing everything possible to evacuate people from risk-prone areas.

Southern Railway Friday notified that the train services between Kayankulam – Ernakulam via Alappuzha will remain suspended till further notice due to unsafe weather conditions, falling of trees on to track and subsequent disruption of rail traffic. Major long-distance trains running in this section will be diverted via Kottayam line and the situation will be reviewed on Saturday morning.

Nehru Trophy snake boat race has been cancelled due to flood situation in Kerala.  It was scheduled on August 10 to be inaugurated by Sachin Tendulkar.

Kerala State Electricity Board warns against posting fake news of major dam shutters being opened on social media. It reiterates that there's only under 30% water level in reservoirs of dams like Idukki, Pamba, Sholayar and Kakki and that there's no present need to open shutters of these dams.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan holds a review meeting to take stock of the flood situation.

Heres's the list of flights (from and to Bengaluru) cancelled due an un-operative Kochi Airport.

With Kochi Airport suspending its operations, a number of flights from and to Bengaluru scheduled for today have been cancelled.

Army personnel have been deployed in three districts - Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam. In addition to this, two columns of Armymen have been kept standby at the military station. Army sub-area Bangalore is coordinating the entire flood operations in Kerala i.e. both Kannur DSC and Pangode military station Trivandrum.

Rahul Gandhi speaks to PM Narendra Modi and seeks assistance for flood-hit people of Kerala, including for those in his constituency, Wayanad. (PTI)