Officials forecast more rain as death toll from floods in Kerala, a southern Indian state, rose to 28 Monday.
The torrential downpours that began last week have caused flooding and destroyed bridges. Homes and vehicles have also been washed away. Many dams were at or near their maximum capacity.
K.J. K.J.
He said, “This is certainly a sign for things to come.”
Kottayam, Idukki and other districts were among the most severely affected. At least 23 people have died. Officials said that more than 9,000 people sought shelter in the over 200 camps spread across the state.
A low-pressure region that formed above the southeastern Arabian Sea and Kerala caused heavy rains. Although it was expected that the rain would ease Monday, the Meteorological Department warned of new rain-bearing windstorms in the area beginning Wednesday. This could bring more precipitation.
Many northern and eastern Indian states are also expected to experience heavy rainfall.
To aid rescue efforts, the National Disaster Response Force (Indian army) deployed teams to Kerala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “I pray for everybody’s safety and wellbeing.”
