Two dead, 100 evacuated after rains batter Kerala

Two women were dead and more than 100 people evacuated after heavy rains battered several parts of Kerala, officials said.

On Wednesday, a 50-year-old woman, Kara, died after a tree fell over her house in Palakkad district's Attapady. Twenty-four-year-old Alady Muthu fell unconscious and died after her house in Panamaram village in Wayanad was flooded.

More than 100 people in Nilambur in Malappuram district were evacuated from their houses. 

A red alert has been issued by the authorities in Idukki, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.

Nilambur police official A.P. Sunil told the media that while they transferred around 100 people to safer places, some have refused leave their houses. "If they do not come out on their own, they will be forcefully taken out," he said.

Idukki, Kannur and Kottayam districts are also witnessing heavy rains. Traffic on the Kannur-Kozhikode national highway has been affected. IANS