Thiruvananthapuram, September 5 (BPNS)
The India Meteorological Department has forecasted extremely heavy rainfall in four districts – Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Idukki – on Tuesday. According to the Met Department, these districts could expect more than 204.5 mm of rainfall in 24 hours. According to officials, the development is a result of the cyclonic circulation that lies over the Comorin area and neighborhood at lower tropospheric levels.
At the same time, two fishermen lost their lives and three were feared missing after the boat in which they were traveling got capsized in Thiruvananthapuram’s Muthalapozhi. It is suspected that strong winds had resulted in the accident. According to the Indian Coast Guard, 24 fishermen were traveling in ‘Safa Marwa’ when the boat capsized. Of them, 12 had saved themselves. The deceased were Shanavas and Nizamuddin.
“Those who met with the accident were fishermen from Varkala. They were returning to the harbor after fishing in the deep seas. As per the accounts of those who saved themselves, strong winds resulted in the accident. The search operation got hampered a couple of times due to the rough weather. But with the help of the Coast Guard it is still in progress,” said an official of Anchuthengu Coastal Police Station.
In another incident from Thiruvananthapuram, the car in which three tourists were traveling got washed away in the flash floods reported near tourist attraction Meenmutty waterfall. The tourists, who were Tamil Nadu natives, had a miraculous escape.
The other day, two persons, including an eight-year-old child, died after being swept away in a flash flood reported at Mankayam waterfalls in Palode. The victims were part of a group that had reached the area to attend a wedding. Though the body of the girl child was recovered on Sunday night itself, the second one was retrieved on Monday. Though another person got washed away in the flash flood, the locals rescued him.
While the Thiruvananthapuram district administration announced a holiday for all educational institutions on Tuesday, the Pathanamthitta district administration directed all government officials in the district to be ready to undertake disaster management-related activities.
