Heavy rains batter Kerala, claim two lives

Thiruvananthapuram: Two women were killed in separate rain-related incidents as heavy rains lashed several parts of Kerala, police said Thursday.

A woman died as earth caved in at nearby Balramapuram last evening while another woman died as an uprooted tree fell on her at Malappuram, they said. Several long distance trains were delayed and some passenger trains cancelled as tracks were submerged in Kochi, officials said. Power supply was disrupted in many places as trees and supporting poles were brought down by strong winds that accompanied the downpour, also causing extensive damage to crops and property, they said. More than 250 houses were partly damaged. The Meteorological Department here has forecast heavy rains and strong winds till tomorrow morning. According to official figures, 20 persons have died and losses amounting to Rs 70 crore were reported across the state in summer showers since April. The crop destruction alone was around Rs 12 crore during the period. As the heavy rain and wind continued, government opened a control room here to coordinate relief work. The District administration had been instructed to co-ordinate relief work. A 24-hour helpline has been opened and people in low lying areas are being shifted to safer places, Ernakulam District Collector M G Rajamanikkam was quoted as saying in Kochi report.