Kerala Rain Fury: Eight Dead as Landslides and Flooding Devastate High-Range Districts

Heavy rain across Kerala has killed at least eight people, with the state remaining on high alert on Saturday. The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for all districts except Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram for Sunday.

Showers are expected to persist until August 7. Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts are the worst-hit.

Vagamon recorded 314 mm of rain in 24 hours, while Vadasserikkara and Laha in Pathanamthitta received 302 mm and 260 mm respectively, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority stated.

Fatalities Across State

A series of landslides early Saturday resulted in multiple casualties. In Kottayam, Regina Johny (50), wife of Manappattu M J John, and her son, Josephine Johny (28), died after a landslide hit their house at Payyani Estate in Poonjar Thekkekara. John was at a neighbouring house then.

In Idukki, Sumathi (69) died after her house at Adoor Mala in Kudayathoor was buried under debris in a pre-dawn landslide. Her husband Ravi and son Ratheesh managed to escape. Prabhakaran Nair (72) of Vaikom died after a landslide struck his house at Kolahalamedu near Vagamon.

Drowning claimed three young lives. In Vakathanam, Class VI student Milan K Shiju, 11, died after falling into a water-filled pit at a Jal Jeevan Mission reservoir construction site near his home. Two toddlers also died in Malappuram. Four-year-old Adam Aiman was swept away by a rushing stream at Neerad Koonayil in Kondotty, while three-year-old Abdul Muhain drowned in a Thiruvali canal near his home in Vandoor.

In Wayanad, Benny, a farmer from Padinjarathara, was electrocuted while pumping out water from a pond. Meanwhile, search operations continued on Saturday for four missing fishermen. Two boats capsized off the Thiruvananthapuram coast at Muthalapozhi and Vizhinjam on Friday night amid rough seas, strong winds and heavy rain. Several other fishermen were rescued.

Severe Infrastructure Damage

Landslides and rising water levels disrupted major transport routes. A parked police jeep was damaged in a landslide at Upputhara. A landslide near Chackochi Bend disrupted traffic on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway. Rising water levels in Chottupara Kaithodu at Vandiperiyar caused waterlogging on NH183.

Floods submerged Kottayam. Heavy downpours flooded homes and shops in Erattupetta, Kanjirappally, Koottickal, Erumeli and Pala, halting traffic and triggering emergency rescues. Landslides also hit the highland areas of Pathanamthitta.

Nearby, the overflowing Pampa River isolated several neighborhoods. Local officials deployed rescue boats to reach stranded residents in Ranni, Kozhencherry and Aranmula, district officials stated.

Flooding and minor landslides were reported in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur, Kasaragod and Palakkad also. Engapuzha town in Kozhikode was inundated after a river overflowed. Landslides were reported in several high-range areas of Kozhikode and Kannur, while traffic on ghat roads in Wayanad was regulated following minor landslides.

In Ernakulam, the eastern parts of the district, especially Kothamangalam, were the worst affected, with multiple landslides and widespread uprooting of trees. Along the coast at Chellanam, violent sea surges destroyed temporary geo-bag seawalls in Ward 6.

Raging waters dragged two vehicles near Guruvayur. Heavy downpours had submerged low-lying areas in Thrissur. One car carried a family of four with two children, while the other had only the driver. All five individuals escaped unharmed.

Authorities temporarily banned tourist visits to Athirappilly and Vazhachal. The restriction follows the ongoing heavy downpours.

Reservoir Management, Relief

Rising water levels prompted authorities to open 14 of the 15 shutters at the Bhoothathankettu dam. Authorities also raised the Malankara dam shutters to 1.5 metres as water levels continued to rise at the Idamalayar dam, and opened a sluice gate of the Peringalkuthu dam on Saturday afternoon.

The downpours wrecked homes. The rain completely damaged 17 houses and partially damaged another 127, the state government informed. Authorities also opened 65 relief camps to shelter 1,465 displaced residents.