Kerala floods: Residential areas submerged, red alert issued for 6 districts

Heavy rains have triggered floods and landslides, wreaking havoc in Kerala. Flood-like situations witnessed in several low lying areas. Parts of Kottayam have been submerged in water. Water has entered several houses throwing normal lives out of gear. Kuttanad area of Kerala's Alappuzha is flooded. Hundreds of acres of cultivation have been washed away. District administration has set up over 30 relief camps. Affected people are being shifted to safer areas. The IMD predicted extremely heavy rainfall, and issued a red alert for six districts including Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Alappuzha districts. Death toll in the Idukki landslide has surged to 43. As many as 17 bodies including a six-month-old baby were recovered on Sunday. Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, a full unit of Idukki Fire and Rescue team, a team each from Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, and a team which received special training have been leading the rescue operations in Idukki's Rajamala, informed the District Information Office. It added that 105 members of Kerala Armed Police, 21 members of local police, and 10 members of Rapid Action Force are also present on the spot of the landslide.