24 killed, several missing as rain pounds the State CM Pinarayi Vijayan seeks more Central help from Modi
Cochin International Airport suspends operations A resurgent monsoon brought Kerala to its knees on Wednesday, with the State tottering under the worst floods in its history. Submerged by floodwaters, cities and villages lay crippled as the circle of destruction widened. As many as 24 were killed in rain-related incidents during the day and several missing, as the withering broadside unleashed by the monsoon rocked the State from one end to the other. Towns and settlements were cut off by flash floods and landslips; train, air and road traffic were disrupted; and 35 dams and barrages had to be opened to let out water from fast-filling reservoirs.
Central Kerala and the northern districts were a picture of devastation with the deluge inundating vast tracts of land.