CHENNAI/TIRUPPUR: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Villupuram and Ranipet districts on Saturday. Heavy rain is also on the cards for 25 other Tamil Nadu districts, including Chennai, on Saturday.
According to IMD’s bulletin, isolated heavy rain is likely in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Tiruppur, Vellore, Kallakurichi, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Erode, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Ramanathapuram, Tiruchy, Namakkal, Cuddalore, Karur, Perambalur and Ariyalur.
Meanwhile, in Tiruppur, a woman, P Mariyal (53) of Reddiyapalayam, died after a branch from a roadside tamarind tree fell on her in Kangeyam. The incident occurred around 8.45 pm after Kangeyam received heavy rain on Thursday. Mariyal had gone to a grocery store when the branch fell on her head and died on the spot.
The rainfall was highest in Kanniyakumari, with Adayamadai recording 18 cm in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday. Pollachi and PWD Makkinampatti in Coimbatore and Periyakulam in Theni received 15 cm rain each. Erode also recorded around 150 mm of rain. Rainfall was scattered across Chennai and had picked up in parts of the city as the day progressed.
The Meenambakkam observatory recorded 7.6 mm of rain by 5.30 pm, while parts of Chennai received moderate rain. Waterlogging disrupted traffic in some stretches in the city and outskirts, including GST Road, Maduravoyal, Poonamallee and Porur toll plaza.In Kancheepuram, Uthiramerur recorded the highest rainfall of 13.4 cm. The district’s total rainfall till 6 pm was 22.18 cm.
Cave-in disrupts train services; flights diverted
Chennai: Train services were disrupted following a cave-in triggered by heavy rain near the railway tracks between Walajabad and Kancheepuram around 6.45 pm on Friday. Suburban trains between Chennai Beach and Tirumalpur are being short-terminated at Chengalpattu until the stretch is cleared. A passenger train from Puducherry to Tirupati was also halted at Walajabad. Eight buses were arranged to transport stranded passengers. Meanwhile, two flights from Kolkata to Chennai were diverted to Tiruchy and Coimbatore on Friday due to bad weather at Chennai airport. IndiGo flight 6E0641 was diverted to Tiruchy and Air India Express flight IX1259 was diverted to Coimbatore.
