Thiruvananthapuram, August 9: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued red, orange and yellow alerts in various districts of Kerala as heavy rain continues to lash the southern state. The IMD issued a red alert in seven districts and orange alert in six. A yellow alert has been issued Thiruvananthapuram. Several districts of Kerala have been witnessing heavy rainfall since early this week. Four COVID-19 Deaths, 1,420 New Cases in Kerala in 24 Hours.

The red alert has been issued in Alapuzha, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. The orange alert has been issued in Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad. Meanwhile, the death toll in the massive landslide in Idukki climbed to 28. The landslide occurred at Rajamalai late on Thursday night due to heavy rain for the past four days in the hilly area. Kerala Rains: Monsoon Cripples Normal Life in Parts of State, Heavy Rainfall to Continue Over Next 3 Days, Says IMD.

Kerala Forest Minister K Raju is expected to visit the spot later today. A search operation is underway for the missing people in the landslide. On Friday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs to kin of the deceased. Heavy rains in several parts of Kerala have triggered floods and landslides which have wreaked havoc in the region over the past few days.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 09, 2020 12:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).