Kerala Rains: Indian Air Force medium-lift inducted for flood relief

Indian Air Force helicopters have been inducted for relief efforts in Kerala districts inundated due to heavy rains.

Indian Air Force medium-lift helicopters have been inducted for flood relief efforts in districts of Kerala inundated due to heavy rains.

"Indian Air Force medium-lift helicopters have been inducted for flood-relief efforts in districts of Kerala inundated due to heavy rains," tweeted the Indian Air Force.

At least nine people have been killed as heavy rains lashed the state with Kottayam and Idukki among the worst affected districts. On Sunday three more bodies were recovered from debris of landslides triggered by rainfall in Koottikkal in Kerala's Kottayam district.

The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), the Air Force, Navy, and the Army have also been pressed into service into assisting rescue and relief operations.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today urged people in the state to take all precautions against the rain. "105 relief camps have been set up across the State and arrangements have been made to start more camps," he said.

The chief minister said that as per Central Water Commission, the water level in Madamon, Kalluppara, Thumpaman, Pullakayar, Manikkal, Vellaikadavu and Aruvipuram dams in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram districts was rising.

The chief minister held a high-level meeting to intensify the rescue and said evacuate people stranded in areas flooded due to heavy rain.

State ministers K Rajan, Roshy Augustine and VN Vasavan participated in a review meeting to assess the situation arising due to heavy rains in the state, at Mundakkayam in Kottayam this morning.

In view of the red alert for rainfall and possible flooding and waterlogging in several districts of Kerala, a total of 11 teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) have been deployed to the state in coordination with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).

A total of 33 people including eight women and seven children have been rescued so far, according to the NDRF.

Early this morning a team of the NDRF conducted rescue operation in Kokkayar, Idukki where a landslide occurred yesterday. Rescue operations were also conducted in and around Ernakulam district and in Vaipur, RanniTaluk in Pathanamthitta district..According to the Met department, there will be isolated heavy rain in parts of the state over the next 24 hours starting October 17.

The India Meteorological Department today said that places with only isolated heavy rainfall over the state during next 24 hours and further decrease thereafter.