Kochi, August 5, 2013: Incessant heavy rains over the weekend have whipped Kerala. The Kochi airport was shut down on Monday for 24 hours after water flooded the runway and the parking bay.  

13 bodies have been found in a stretch of National Highway 49 in Idukki in the central part of the state. The highway connects Kochi to Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Several cars have flipped over and more casualties are expected, warned officials.

The worst-hit area has been Adimali, popular with tourists. Doctors and ambulances have been rushed down from nearby hill towns like Munnar. 20,000 people have been moved to relief camps in Idukki and Ernakulum, where heavy rainfall has been recorded.

The Periyar River is over-flowing. Thousands of people are expected to gather today on the river banks in Aluva, 27 kms from Kochi, for a religious ritual at a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is nearly submerged, said officials.

The Army and National Disaster Relief Force have been brought in for relief and rescue operations in Idukki and Aluva .

126 flights have been cancelled; 11,000 passengers are likely to be affected by the closure of the airport, said officials. 

ACK Nair, a senior official at the airport, said, "What we are told is that since some dam shutters was open on account of the heavy rains, the water level increased in and around the airport. As a result, water entered the parking bays and taxiway."

Source: NDTV, DT. August 5, 2013.