Flooding in the tourist state of Kerala killed 43 people as some of the 'worst floods' in a century kept tens of thousands of people stranded. This also forced the closure of one of Kerala's main airports, stranding more people.
Forecasts of "heavy to very heavy" rainfall have been released by the Indian Meteorological Department, further complicating ongoing rescue efforts. Even the issuance of a "red alert" spells difficulties since it affects 12 out of 14 districts in submerged Kerala. The alerts will remain until Saturday, while the Kochi city airport will also remain in shutdown.
Reuters reports that the death toll has climbed to 200 people due to the seasonal rainfall, which has been happening since May. This was according to Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose, a senior official with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. The rainfall has also damaged countless houses and destroyed countless crops, potentially damaging the country's export industry, which relies on coffee and spices.
The rains have displaced most of the 33 million people who have called the area home. Even if the area is battered by rain on a yearly basis, this year's monsoon has been historical. Hundreds of villages have been submerged since August 8, while airport authorities have suspended flights coming from or going to the region.
The army and the navy have been busy with rescuing people as well as airlifting those that need immediate help out of the region. They have also facilitated relief operations as well as helping in evacuation areas, which hold more than just 60,000 people displaced from the flooding.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Al-Jazeera, spoke about the situation. He called for 'prayers' for the people of Kerala, for their safety, and has also ordered the Defense Ministry to deliver their services a notch higher as more and more people stand affected by the historic deluge.
The latest casualties from the flooding came after 35 dams, overflowing to capacity, were forced to release water into the main river, creating a surge of water that washed through the villages. The state chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said that many more districts in Kerala are still in danger of being submerged in water.
