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At least 79 people have been killed as a result of flooding, landslides and bridge collapses in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the past week, officials have said.
The worst floods in nearly a century in the popular tourist destination have led to rising water, which has stranded tens of thousands of people.
The international airport at Kochi , a major port city, suspended flight operations until Saturday after rains flooded the runway.
Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in IndiaShow all 40 1 /40Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A man removes debris from a collapsed house after floods in Paravur
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An ariel shot of Kerala from Thiruvanpuram
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Murgan and his family clean up their house in Mundancavu village at Chegannur upon returning home after the flood waters receded
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People assess damage caused by floods on the outskirts of Kochi
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Men paddle their boat through the lawns of a partially submerged church at Kuttanad in Alleppey district
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Sandhya Biji and her son in front of their damaged house on the banks of Pamba river
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Border Security Force distribute food food and water to the residents who are stuck in their houses as well who have not vacated houses because of the flood water in interior places at Allapy
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A damaged house on the banks of Pamba river
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Murgan cleaning up his house
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An aerial view shows partially submerged houses at a flooded area in the southern state of Kerala
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Murgan and his family clean up their house
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People are airlifted by the Indian Navy soldiers during a rescue operation
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People wait for aid on the roof of their house
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian volunteers and rescue personal evacuate local residents
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian people use a boat to rescue an elderly man in the flooded water in Kochi
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An aerial view shows partially submerged houses at a flooded area in the southern state of Kerala
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An Indian woman watches residents walking through flood streets next to their marooned houses
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian army personal evacuate local residents
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian commuters wade through flooded streets
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People move past a flooded road in Thrissur
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Water gushes out following heavy rain and landslide in Kozhikode
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Fire and Rescue personnel evacuate local residents in an inflatable boat from a flooded area at Muppathadam near Eloor
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian residents look at the Shiva Temple submerged
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Roads and houses engulfed in water following heavy rain and landslide in Kozhikode.
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People look at vehicles stuck in the mud
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A young man wades through a flooded street in Kochi
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Rescue operations being conducted at the landslide location at Kuttampuzha
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An elderly woman is rescued in a cooking utensil
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Local residents look at a partially destroyed house after heavy monsoon rains led to a landslide in Kannappankund
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An Indian woman sits inside her house immersed in flood waters in Ernakulam district of Kochi
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian fire and rescue personnel evacuate local resident
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A woman stands at the door of her flooded home in Kochi
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India India residents stand on the shore as Periyar river flooded
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An Indian man carries a basket of bananas next to houses immersed in flood waters
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Laborers hailing from northern states wade through flood waters as they shift to higher ground
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan (L) along with opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala (2L) visit relief camp in Chengamanadu Government Higher Secondary School
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Athirampally Falls
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian residents look at houses destroyed by flood waters at Kannappankundu
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Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Kochi's International airport apron flooded
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Rain and floods have destroyed and damaged hundreds of houses in the past week and caused significant losses to crops in a state known for its spices and coffee.
Authorities asked tourists to stay away from the popular hill station of Munnar in Idukki district because of flooding.
People have also been asked to avoid the Sabarimala hill shrine as the water level in the nearby rainfed Pamba river was rising. Sabarimala, a Hindu pilgrimage centre in the mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta district, attracts around 45 million devotees each year.
India’s metrological department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in the state until Saturday, and has issued a “red alert” for 12 out of its 14 districts.
Rescue workers evacuate people in Muppathadam in Kochi’s Ernakulam district (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images) Krishna Kumar, a relief official, said there would be no immediate respite for thousands of people in state-run relief camps.
Heavy rains forced state authorities to release excess water from dozens of dangerously full dams, sending a surge into its main river and causing floods downstream.
“Presently, 35 reservoirs in the state are releasing water. Many districts in the state are facing floods,” the state’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said on Twitter.
Another 12 deaths were reported on Thursday, putting the death toll since 8 August at 79, according to The Times of India .
A structure is submerged in flood water following heavy rain in Kochi, Kerala state (EPA) (EPA/PRAKASH ELAMAKKARA) Monsoon rains kill hundreds of people each year in India. The monsoon season runs from June to September.
Kerala is famous for its coastline and picturesque backwaters, and has become a major destination for Indian and international tourists.
The state last saw such devastating flooding in 1924.
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