KSDMA Terms Heavy Kerala Rains As Cloudburst; Death Toll Raises to 4

Thiruvananthapuram: Four people have died after extremely heavy rainfall measuring up to 361 mm in 24 hours triggered a series of landslides and debris flows in Keralam's southern districts, officials said on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Sumathi (65), a resident of the Adoormala area near Kudayathoor in Idukki district. Debris from a landslide struck her house in the early hours of Saturday, the district administration said.

Neighbours managed to rescue her husband, Ravi, and the couple's son, Ratheesh.

Both sustained injuries and were admitted to a hospital in Thodupuzha.

Authorities said the family's house was destroyed in the landslide.

Sumathi's body was recovered after a search operation carried out by personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, police and revenue officials.

A youth died, and his mother was buried under debris in a landslide at Payyanithottam in Poonjar in Kottayam district.

The deceased is identified as Josephine (24), son of Johny, and his mother Rejina Johny (46), who were trapped under debris, officials said.

Even though Josephine was rescued, he succumbed to injuries while being shifted to the hospital.

The body of Rejina was recovered by around 10.30 am.

In another incident, a person identified as Prabhakaran Nair (77) died after a landslide hit a house in the Vagamon area of Idukki district.

Officials said that Nair, a native of Vaikom in Kottayam, was sleeping in one of the bedrooms of his relative's house when the landslide took place.

Following an hours-long search, his body could be recovered, officials said.

Landslides and flooding were reported in various parts of the Idukki district.

At Upputhara, a parked police jeep was damaged in a landslide.

With the Pullakayar river overflowing, the Kokkayar low-level crossing (chappath) has been submerged. Around six houses were inundated in the surrounding area, and the affected families were shifted to safer locations, officials said.

Heavy rain disrupted traffic at multiple locations as well.

The road between Kattappana and Vazhavara was blocked following a landslide, while rising water levels in the Chottupara stream at Vandiperiyar led to waterlogging on National Highway 183.

The road at Nellimala was also blocked, affecting vehicular movement.

Authorities have announced the opening of the shutters of minor dams in the district,

In the neighbouring Kottayam district, heavy rain triggered widespread flooding in Erattupetta, Kanjirappally, Koottickal and Erumeli, inundating residential areas, disrupting traffic and prompting large-scale rescue operations.

Four houses were damaged at Teekoy village following the landslide but residents managed to escape unhurt, officials said.

Erattupetta town witnessed a sudden rise in water levels overnight, forcing authorities to halt vehicular traffic.

Several houses in Erattupetta, including those in Nadakkal and Murikkoly, were inundated.

Rescue personnel, assisted by locals, evacuated people stranded on the upper floors of their homes to safer locations. Traffic in the area remained completely disrupted, according to officials.

In Koottickal and Mundakkayam, water levels continued to rise after the Manimala and Pullakayar rivers overflowed. The Koottickal causeway and low-level crossing were submerged, while water entered several houses.

Traffic was also affected after the Mundakkayam causeway went underwater.

More landslides were reported from the hilly areas of Pathanamthitta district.

Ranni MLA Pazhakulam Madhu, in a social media post, said heavy flooding had been reported in Ranni and adjoining areas. He urged people to remain cautious as river water levels had risen to dangerous levels and said floodwaters had entered several houses and shops.

Several parts of Ranni and nearby areas are cut off following the flood, and the district administration has deployed boats to rescue people trapped in their houses, officials said.

Authorities said heavy rain, accompanied by landslides, caused a sudden rise in the water level in the Pampa river.

Relief camps have also been set up in Pathanamthitta district, officials added.

Apart from central Kerala, heavy rain was reported in the hilly areas of Kollam district.

Also, floods and minor landslides were reported in Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur and Palakkad districts.

Engapuzha town in Kozhikode was completely inundated following heavy rain, with water from the river overflowing into the area.

Traffic on the Wayanad ghat road has been regulated considering the possibility of landslides in the area.

A four-year-old died after falling into a waterbody in Malappuram.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast continued heavy rainfall in parts of Kerala, prompting authorities to keep rescue teams on alert and advise people in vulnerable areas to remain cautious.

Kerala Experienced Cloudburst, Officials Say

According to Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose, Member Secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), two fatalities each have been reported from Idukki and Kottayam districts.

The intense rain spell, which occurred primarily between 10 PM and early morning, caused significant damage to houses and roads in slope-cut areas.

"So essentially, what we have seen is that fatality numbers are very low, thankfully. We have two deaths reported from Idukki and two from Kottayam," he said.

"Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki experienced extremely heavy rainfall measuring up to 361 mm at places in the last maybe 24 hours or so. Much of the rain spell was after about 10 o'clock at night and until the early morning. That has caused a number of landslides in slope-cut faces where there are roads and houses and all that. And we have also seen some debris flows happening here and there. It's just a cloudburst, that's it. Nothing else, nothing big," Kuriakose added.

The official described the weather phenomenon simply as a "cloudburst".

He noted that while the rainfall was unprecedented--stating that no river could contain 361 mm of rain in less than 12 hours--the fatality numbers remained low due to high public awareness and prior alerts.

Providing a weather update, Kuriakose added, "The rain spell for the south is almost over. Now it's moving towards the north. It has started raining, so starting from Thrissur to Kasaragod today also we will experience significant amounts of rainfall until tomorrow. And after that, we will have a respite from this extremely heavy rainfall situation."

On the rescue front, nine NDRF teams have been pre-positioned in districts including Pathanamthitta, Idukki, and Alappuzha.

Kuriakose emphasised the role of local agencies and volunteers, noting that approximately 10,000 'Aapda Mitra' volunteers and an equal number of Civil Defence personnel are working alongside the Fire and Rescue services.

"They all work in tandem with the fire and rescue service, and they coordinate. So while the might of fire and rescue is seen to be undermined many a times, they are our workhorses, you know. They are the ones who are really extending their arms to every part of Kerala. NDRFs are essentially meant for the last mile, you know, that extra edge when you have difficulties in cutting across certain places," he said.

In view of the continuing rainfall, Keralam Health Minister K Muraleedharan directed the Health Department to convene an emergency meeting of officials today.

The meeting, scheduled for 11 AM, will be held online and chaired by Health Department Director Meenakshi.

The emergency session, which will include District Medical Officers and NHM District Programme Managers, aims to review the functioning of relief camps and discuss local-level medical arrangements. Further action will be determined after assessing the specific needs of each affected district.