Ockhi death toll mounts to five

Life has come to a standstill in the cyclone Ockhi-ravaged Kanyakumari in southern Tamil Nadu on Friday with the death toll reaching five so far.

Schools remained shut in the coastal districts across Tamil Nadu including Chennai on Friday. Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the victims, an official release said.

Widespread rainfall has been reported in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with Papanasam(Tirunelveli district) recording 45cm rain, Regional Meteorological Centre director S Balachandran said, adding that very heavy rainfall occurred in 21 places.

With thousands of trees uprooted by the rains accompanied by the gusty winds, the power supply remained out of the bounds for the second day with cables snapped in several places by fallen trees. People also found it difficult to get access to essentials like milk and vegetables.

Tamil Nadu Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management RB Udhaya Kumar, deputed to Kanyakumari to monitor relief work, said steps have been taken to drain the waterlogged in the areas. He said electricity department personnel were trying to restore the power supply in the district.

The Coast Guard has deployed two ships - Vaibhav and Aadesh - besides a Dornier aircraft for search and rescue operations in the sea off Kanyakumari. Five Kanyakumari district fishermen have not returned to shore after they went into the sea two days ago, police said.

The Met department predicted another 48-hours of heavy rainfall in the state.