Kerala rains: Several evacuated from Cheruthoni town

Scores of people residing in Cheruthoni town were evacuated from their homes on Friday as torrential rains triggered flash flooding in the region.

Speaking to ANI, Idukki district collector Jeevan Kumar assured that they have safely shifted people to the relief camps set up in Munnar and several other nearby districts where the water level is comparatively low.

"Our rescue team are taking all the necessary measures in order to combat with the current situation. We have helped the people in shifting to relief camps set up in Munnar as the water level rose in Cherurhoni due to heavy downpour. The state is expected to get much heavier rainfall for the next couple of days," he said.

Not only that, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) also opened all the five shutters of the Cheruthony dam in order to release the excess inflow of the water deposited in the catchment areas of the reservoir from the past couple of days.

The floodgates were opened to increase the water flow into the Periyar river to 125 cuses (1, 25,000 liters/second).

On Thursday, the administration was compelled to open the sluice gates of Cheruthoni dam on Idukki reservoir, for the first time in 26 years as the inundation was so severe.

At least 26 people have lost their lives so far across rain-battered Kerala due to flooding and landslides caused by the torrential downpour in the state.

The deluge has ravaged several districts of the state, with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) working in a fire-fighting mode.

The heavy downpour, caused by the annual south-west monsoon, has also hampered the train services between Kanjikode and Walayar and adversely affected flight services as well.