3 killed as rains lash Kerala on day 3 of monsoon

Monsoon rains lashed parts of Kerala, claiming three lives while a depression in the Arabian sea intensified into a deep depression Monday, police and the weather department said.

Two of the victims, including a woman, were electrocuted on a water-logged road here while a man died and two others were injured when a tree fell on them in Kochi, police said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the depression in the Arabian Sea moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 15 kmph in last six hours and intensified into a deep depression and is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm during next 24 hours.

The system lay centred at about 250 km northwest of Amindivi in Lakshadweep as of 11.30 am Monday, it said forecasting widespread rainfall with heavy falls at isolated places in the next three days in the region.

Wind speed reaching 35-45 kmph gustingto 55 kmph was very likely to prevail over along the coast of Kerala and Karnataka, it said in a bulletin.

The fishermen have been warned not to venture into sea for next two days as it was likely to be rough.

In the first fatal rain related incidents in the state, after the South West Monsoon set in on June 8, a man and woman, aged 63 and 60 respectively, were killed when they came into contact with snapped power cable early Monday morning at Pettah in the city, police said.

In Kochi, a lottery worker, riding his two-wheeler, was killed when a tree got uprooted and fell on him and on to a car passing by. Two occupants of the car were injured, they said.

Alappuzha recorded 7 cm rainfall, Agathi (Lakshadweep) 6 cm, Neyyattinkara and Varkala (both in Thiruvananthapuram district), Cherthala & Mancompu (both in Alappuzha district) 4 each, Thiruvananthapuram City and Ernakulam South recorded 3 cm each, the Met department said.