Eight killed as extremely heavy rain batters Kerala
Eight people died in rain-related incidents in Kerala as a spell of intense rain battered the State from Friday (July 31, 2026) night into Saturday
Eight people died in rain-related incidents in Kerala as a spell of intense rain battered the State from Friday (July 31, 2026) night into Saturday (August 1, 2026), triggering landslips, flash floods, and widespread destruction, particularly in hilly regions. Kerala heavy rains live update This comes barely a month after a deadly debris slip triggered by extreme rainfall claimed eight lives at a tunnel construction site in Wayanad. As of 9 p.m. on Saturday (August 1, 2026), the death toll stood at eight people, including three children, and four people who died in landslips. Six fishermen, four from Thiruvananthapuram and two from Kollam, went missing in the Arabian Sea, while two residents of Kannur also went missing after they fell into a river. Search operations were ongoing. More rain on August 2 The State government opened 65 relief camps, sheltering 1,465 people. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, 17 houses were completely destroyed and 127 partially damaged, and the State is ready to open more camps if required. The sudden intensity of the rainfall caught weather agencies, residents, and disaster management authorities off guard, triggering major landslips in Idukki and Kottayam districts.
A red alert remained in force for nine districts on Saturday (August 1, 2026), while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for 12 districts on Sunday (August 2, 2026), warning of more heavy rainfall. Death toll Two children — three-year-old Abdul Muhaini and four-year-old Adam Ayman — drowned after falling into a swollen stream in Malappuram, while Milan K. Shinu, 11, of Vakathanam died after falling into a waterlogged pit dug for a Jal Jeevan Mission project. In Kudayathoor panchayat near Thodupuzha, Sumathi, 69, was killed after a landslip buried her house. In another incident at Kolahalamedu near Vagamon, Prabhakaran Nair, 72, died when a mudslide struck his house, trapping him inside. In Kottayam’s Kaippally, Josephin Johny, 28, and his mother, Regina Johny, 48, were buried under debris after a rain-triggered landslip caused part of the hillside adjoining their home to collapse. There was also one death caused by electrocution in Wayanad. Personnel from the Disaster Response Force, fire and rescue services, police, and local residents carried out rescue operations, successfully rescuing two people from the debris in Idukki. River overflows, town submerged Although Kerala had been experiencing moderate to heavy rainfall over the past two days, the downpour intensified on Friday night, triggering flash floods in parts of Kottayam, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, and northern Kerala.
The BriefWire