Heavy rains in southern India kill 14 people, flood Chennai

NEW DELHI — At slightest 14 radical person died successful the confederate Indian authorities of Tamil Nadu during days of dense rains, officials said Thursday.

Several districts successful the authorities are connected precocious alert, bracing for much torrents arsenic a slump implicit the southwest Bay of Bengal is acceptable to transverse bluish Tamil Nadu connected Thursday evening. The Indian Meteorological Department warned of aggravated rains successful isolated places.

The dense rains archetypal struck implicit the weekend, hitting the capital, Chennai. Photos and videos from the metropolis showed residents wading done knee-deep waters and vehicles astir submerged successful the heavy flooded roads.

Two radical died successful the past 24 hours, said N Subbaiyan, the manager of the state’s catastrophe management, adding that the different 12 were killed implicit the past fewer days.

At slightest 800 huts person been destroyed this past week by the rains, said Kumar Jayant of the state’s gross department.

Multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force person been deployed to assistance section authorities with rescue efforts.

In Chennai, which is among the worst hit, officials person evacuated hundreds of radical from susceptible areas. Authorities person besides acceptable up implicit 100 alleviation centers and distributed escaped food, section media reported.

Flights into Chennai person been suspended.

The rains this week are among the heaviest to deed the metropolis since 2015.

Experts person warned that much dense rains tin trigger further flooding and devastation.

“The nationalist should not spell out,” Greater Chennai Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi told New Delhi Television connected Wednesday. He said authorities had managed to drain the bulk of the floodwaters, but cautioned that low-lying areas could erstwhile again get inundated.

Rains astatine this clip successful Tamil Nadu are not unusual, but experts person warned that clime alteration has exacerbated the problem, making the downpours much aggravated and frequent.

Last month, flooding and landslides caused by dense rains killed astatine slightest 28 radical successful neighboring Kerala state.