Incessant rains have wreaked havoc and triggered flooding across India, particularly in states of Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, Odisha and other eastern parts of India. In a grim reminder of last year’s devastating floods in Kerala, heavy rains, landslips and floods are again battering the state this monsoon. 

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Around 28 people have died and 27 others sustained injuries following incessant rains and overflowing of rivers in several parts of Kerala, said the government on Friday.

A statement from the Chief Minister Office (CMO) said: “Statewide 28 people have lost their lives and other 27 have sustained injuries following the heavy rains causing a flood-like situation in the state. So far seven persons went missing.โ€‹ So far 22,165 people have been evacuated to safety and are lodged in 315 camps across the state.”โ€‹ 

All operations at the Cochin International Airport were suspended till 3 pm, August 11, while 19 long-distance trains have been cancelled. The Army and National Disaster Response Force have been called to rescue people stuck in flood-prone areas. Kerala had also seen the worst floods in a century in 2018, in which over 417 people lost lives and several went missing. โ€‹

In Maharashtra, over two lakh people have been evacuated to safer places as heavy rains continue to pound several districts in the western half of the state. At least nine persons drowned in Sangli district on Thursday when a rescue boat capsized. The total number of deaths due to rain or flood-related incidents in five districts of the region has climbed to 29.

In Karnataka, about 44,000 people have been evacuated from flood-hit and rain-hit areas of the state, where the rain fury has left nine people dead in the past few days. 

Incessant rains have also triggered flooding in several parts of Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Gurajat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal, leading to major devastation. 

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanad Rai on Friday chaired a high-level meeting and took stock of flood situations across the country following heavy rainfall. Rai directed the senior officers to take every possible measure to deal with the situation. 

As per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the next two days will see more rains in Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra.