Death Toll From Floods in India’s Kerala Nears 400
KOCHI/NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) -- The death toll rose Monday to nearly 400 in India's southern state of Kerala, reeling under its worst flood in a century, as authorities handed out medicine and disinfectants to ward off disease in thousands of relief camps.
Dozens of people are missing and 1.2 million are sheltering in the camps, state officials said, as water receded and a huge clean-up gathered pace.
"The death toll has risen to 373," an official of the state's disaster management authority told Reuters.
Kerala received rainfall that was more than 40 percent greater than normal for the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, and torrential rain in the last 10 days forced officials to release water from dozens of dangerously full dams.
Federal health minister J.P. Nadda said more than 3,500 medical camps were set up across a region roughly the size of Switzerland, where rains since Aug. 8 have swelled rivers and triggered landslides.
Light to moderate rain was expected across Kerala Monday, promising respite to rescue workers, who have battled rising waters and mudslides to reach tens of thousands of stranded villagers.
The insides of many homes will have about 60 cm of mud, officials said. Wells, commonly used in Kerala, are contaminated and few places have electricity to pump water.
Kochi's airport has suspended operations until Sunday due to waterlogging. National carrier Air India, on Monday began flying turboprop planes from the city's naval airport to the cities of Bangalore and Coimbatore in neighboring states.
To assist passengers, India's aviation regulator asked domestic airlines to cap maximum fares to and from Kerala and nearby airports.
Even though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the flood one of the worst in India's history, displacing more than half a million people, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not yet declared it a national disaster.
State authorities say they are making a case for such a declaration, which prompts greater commitments of funds for relief and rebuilding efforts. But without a yardstick for such a declaration, it could be an uphill task.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress party, urged Modi not to discriminate between states controlled by his Bharatiya Janata Party and those such as Kerala, which it does not rule.
Dozens of people are missing and 1.2 million are sheltering in the camps, state officials said, as water receded and a huge clean-up gathered pace.
"The death toll has risen to 373," an official of the state's disaster management authority told Reuters.
Kerala received rainfall that was more than 40 percent greater than normal for the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, and torrential rain in the last 10 days forced officials to release water from dozens of dangerously full dams.
Federal health minister J.P. Nadda said more than 3,500 medical camps were set up across a region roughly the size of Switzerland, where rains since Aug. 8 have swelled rivers and triggered landslides.
Light to moderate rain was expected across Kerala Monday, promising respite to rescue workers, who have battled rising waters and mudslides to reach tens of thousands of stranded villagers.
The insides of many homes will have about 60 cm of mud, officials said. Wells, commonly used in Kerala, are contaminated and few places have electricity to pump water.
Kochi's airport has suspended operations until Sunday due to waterlogging. National carrier Air India, on Monday began flying turboprop planes from the city's naval airport to the cities of Bangalore and Coimbatore in neighboring states.
To assist passengers, India's aviation regulator asked domestic airlines to cap maximum fares to and from Kerala and nearby airports.
Even though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the flood one of the worst in India's history, displacing more than half a million people, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not yet declared it a national disaster.
State authorities say they are making a case for such a declaration, which prompts greater commitments of funds for relief and rebuilding efforts. But without a yardstick for such a declaration, it could be an uphill task.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress party, urged Modi not to discriminate between states controlled by his Bharatiya Janata Party and those such as Kerala, which it does not rule.