Hundreds of people were stranded as parts of Tamil Nadu were flooded after heavy rain

CHENNAI:

Heavy rain has paralyzed several areas of India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, flooding roads, affecting rail services and leaving authorities scrambling to rescue those stranded.

The deluge came as the state was still recovering from damage caused by Cyclone Michaung, which hit the coast this month, killing at least 13 people.

Tamil Nadu received nearly 50mm of rain between Sunday and Monday, compared with the 2.5mm that would be normal for this time of year, the meteorological department said, and more rain is expected on Tuesday.

Local media reported that at least five people died in the rain-related floods and accidents, which mainly affected Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts.

Entire neighborhoods remained submerged on Tuesday, with homes looking like lonely islands surrounded by murky, brown water, according to footage from the Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

Teams used inflatable rafts to rescue people from homes and temples and distribute food packages to those who could not be carried to safety.

Reading Hundreds still stranded, plants closed in flood-hit Chennai, India

P. Veeramanikandan, a resident of Tirunelveli, who was among the volunteers working with the authorities in the rescue efforts, said some areas were still too dangerous to approach.

“Areas closer to the riverbanks are still severely affected, while water levels in other areas are starting to recede,” he said.

About 500 passengers traveling to the capital Chennai remained stranded at a station on Tuesday evening, more than 36 hours after their train was terminated early due to disruption of rail services in the region, local media reported.

The state government blamed the chaos on “record rainfall”, which it said was the heaviest in six decades, coupled with the fact that it was heavier than forecast and that the warning had also been received “a bit late”.

The Prime Minister M.K. Stalin told a media briefing that the state had moved 12,653 people to 141 relief camps with food, water, medicine and basic necessities. Food is also distributed by helicopter.

Tamil Nadu is no stranger to floods. Eight years ago, the capital city of Chennai was hit by heavy rains that flooded large parts of the city and killed around 290 people.