KOCHI: After nearly four days of furious rains and over 80 landslides, Kerala is slowly inching back to normalcy on Sunday with rains subsiding, floodwaters receding and most rail and roads were opened for traffic. The Cochin airport, which was closed since Friday, also resumed operations at noon on Sunday.
The death toll in the rains has, meanwhile, climbed to 60 after three more bodies were recovered from Kavalappara in Malappuram district, and Puthumala at Meppadi in Wayanad district. The government said a total of 2.22 lakh people from 63275 families have been moved to 1526 relief camps across the state.
Two more bodies have been recovered from Kavalappara in Malappuram -- a big landslide brought an entire hill crashing down like a sandcastle on Friday – taking the toll from the spot to nine. Alarmingly, over 50 people are still missing from the spot three days after the incident.
Army personnel and the National Disaster Response Force, who had stopped the search operations last evening following another landslide in the spot, have resumed their work on Sunday morning.
One more body was recovered on Sunday morning from Puthumala, where 100 acres comprising a tea estate, a mosque, a temple, and the plantation company’s canteen were washed away in the landslip. With this, the total death count from Puthumala has gone up to 10. Another seven people are still missing from the area.
Reports said water levels are rising in Kuttanad in Alappuzha and hundreds have been moved to the safety of relief camps while Attapadi, the tribal belt in Palakkad, has been cut off with no food and medicines for the last several hours.
Despite the declining rain intensity, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authorities has decided to retain the 'red alerts' in the three northern districts of Kasargod, Kannur, and Wayanad on Sunday.
COCHIN AIRPORT RESUMES
The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) resumed operations after two days’ of shut down, on Sunday noon. Abu Dhabi-Kochi was the first flight to land at Sunday at 12.20 pm.
This was the second time in as many years that the Cochin airport was forced to shut-down due to flooding of its runway.
During the 2018 floods, the Cochin airport was closed from August 15 to August 29.
TRAINS SERVICES INCING BACK TO NORMAL
Railway officials said Ottapalam-Palakkad train service has been restored on Sunday morning.
With this, Trivandrum-New Delhi Kerala Express, Trivandrum-Silchar Express trains will run along the normal Ernakulam-Palakkad route.
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The Ernakulam-Bangalore Intercity conducted its service at 11 am on Sunday via Palakkad-Coimbatore route. Trivandrum-Chennai Express will start at 2:55 pm on Sunday.
However, the rail services to Mangalore via Shornur has not been restored yet.
ROAD TRANSPORT RESTORED IN MANY PLACES
Officials said Malappuram-Nilambur, Cherthala-Kumarakom roads have been opened for buses on Sunday morning.
However, Kottayam-Kumarakom buses have not been allowed to ply through the route due to rising waters.