Tamil Nadu Rains Trigger Flood Alert, Madurai Collector Issues Warning as Vaigai Dam Reaches Tipping Point

Chennai, December 3: The spell of incessant rainfall currently underway in Tamil Nadu has triggered a flood alert in some parts of the state. The district of Madurai could be one of the worst-affected as the Vaigai Dam has reached its tipping point. Collector K Veera Raghava Rao issued an alert late on Tuesday. Holiday Declared in Schools in Chennai & Other Districts on Monday as IMD Predicts More Rainfall.

Madurai, along with other parts of Tamil Nadu, has been receiving heavy rainfall over the past week. The state has been gripped under the North-East Monsoon winds, with the districts of Tuticorin, Cuddalore and Tirunelveli being worst affected.

Update by ANI

A total of 25 deaths have been reported in the southern state in the current spell of rainfall. The maximum deaths were reported in Nadur village in Mettupalayam near Coimbatore where 17 people had died after wall of a residential building collapsed.

Over 1,000 people residing in low-lying areas have been shifted to relief camps set up in Tuticorin, Cuddalore and Tirunelveli districts. The numbers at the relief camps are feared to swell if the spate of rainfall continues unabated for the next 72 hours.

The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu issued a statement on Monday, claiming that the situation is being keenly monitored. The officials have been instructed to act on war-footing to prevent any further rise in casualties. A high-level meeting was also chaired by Chief Minister E Palaniswami with Deputy CM O Panneerselvam and other senior officials.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 04, 2019 12:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).