Two persons, including an eight-year-old child, died after being swept away in a flash flood at Mankayam waterfalls in Palode near here, police said on Monday. September 5. Both were part of a group that was caught in the flash flood that occurred on Sunday evening. "A group of 10 people had reached the area to attend a wedding. They tried to visit Brimur forest area but it was closed for public. So they visited the place where the incident took place. While eight persons of the group held on to a rock, the other two were washed away," a police officer told PTI. The body of the girl child was recovered on Sunday night itself, but the rescue team retrieved the other one on Monday. Another person who was washed away in the flash flood was rescued by the locals.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued a red warning for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts for September 6 and an Orange warning in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts. The weather body has also issued an orange warning for Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur indicating heavy rains on September 7, a day before the Onam festival in the state.
A red warning indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange warning means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow warning means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm. In the bulletin, the IMD has predicted rain or thundershower to occur at most places in Kerala and Lakshadweep from September 5 to 9.
Heavy (7- 11 cm in 24 hours) to very heavy rainfall (12-20 cm in 24 hours) is very likely to occur at isolated places in the district of: Alappuzha, Kottayam & Ernakulam on September 6; Idukki, Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kannur on September 7; and Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod on September 8. On September 6, heavy rainfall (7- 11 cm in 24 hours) is very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad.