Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi will arrive on a two-day visit to Kerala on Sunday (August 11) afternoon and would visit his Lok Sabha constituency, which is among the worst affected in floods
Thiruvananthapuram: The death toll in the monsoon fury in Kerala rose to 59 on Sunday (August 11) with two bodies being recovered while there was a slight let-up in rains in some regions in the state, officials said.
According to official sources, one body each was recovered this morning from Kozhikode and Alappuzha districts, which are among the worst hit by the torrential rains since last week.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a meeting with senior officials on Sunday morning to review the flood situation.
Also watch: Death toll rises to 43, over one lakh people moved to relief camps
They also discussed the search operations at Kavalappara and Puthumala in Malappuram and Wayanad districts respectively, where several people are feared to have been buried alive four days ago in two major landslides.
Over 1.65 lakh people have taken shelter in 1,318 relief camps across the southern state where the rains have triggered numerous landslides or caused floods in most of its 14 districts.
There were reports of a let-up in rains some parts while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for three districts — Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod for Sunday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will arrive on a two-day visit to Kerala on Sunday afternoon and would visit his Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad, which is among the worst affected.
He is expected to visit relief camps at Kottakkal in Nilambur, Mambad, Edavannappara and attend a review meeting at the Malappuram Collectorate, Congress sources said.
Rahul will visit the affected areas in Wayanad on Monday (August 12).
The international airport at the state's commercial capital Kochi, which was closed for two days after the inundation of the runway, will resume operations this noon.
The Southern Railway on Sunday fully cancelled 10 trains including the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Express, Maveli Express, Malabar Express, Kannur-Ernakulam Intercity Express, Ernakulam-Bangalore Intercity express, and four passengers.
Seven trains have been partially cancelled and two trains diverted, it announced.
Various agencies, including the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, NDRF, police force, volunteers and fishermen are involved in the rescue operations at various places.
This is the second consecutive year that the floods and landslides have ravaged Kerala which is yet to recover from the devastating deluge that claimed over 400 lives last year and had rendered lakhs homeless.
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