What happened in Kerala (Friday night to Saturday)

Kerala faced extremely heavy rainfall from Friday night into Saturday. The rainfall triggered landslips and flash-/mudflow-type flooding, with damage concentrated in hilly areas and across multiple districts.

Reported casualties and missing persons:

• As of 9 p.m. Saturday, eight people were reported dead, including three children. • Four deaths were linked to landslips. • One additional death was linked to electrocution in Wayanad. • Missing persons included six fishermen from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam reported missing in the Arabian Sea. • Two residents of Kannur were reported missing after falling into a river; search efforts were ongoing.

Relief and response measures reported in the event:

• The Kerala state government opened multiple relief camps sheltering over a thousand people. • The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority stated that the situation was under control and that vulnerable people were being moved to safer locations. • Kerala’s Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan convened an emergency review meeting and directed ministers overseeing affected districts to stay and coordinate relief. • Kerala stated that financial aid would be provided to families of those killed and to people who lost homes, farms, or livelihoods, along with adequate medical treatment for injured residents.

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