Landslides in two places in Kerala's Kottayam following sudden heavy rain; roads blocked

Heavy rains lashed hilly areas in Kerala's Kottayam district on Thursday causing landslides in two places and disrupting traffic on various roads, including the one leading to the popular hill station of Vagamon.

The sudden heavy rains also led to rise in water levels of various streams and rivers, including the Meenachil river, raising concerns of a flood situation in the downstream areas, the district administration said.

Traffic was blocked for several hours on the Vagamon road and was partially restored towards late evening, it said.

Fire and rescue services, police, volunteers and local residents were working to clear the rubble from the road, it said.

In view of the ongoing operation to clear the rubble from the Vagamon-Erattupetta road and the possibility of further landslides due to sudden rains there, District Collector V Vigneshwari prohibited vehicular traffic on that route.

The collector, who visited the spot, also said that travel to the hilly areas should be avoided as there is a possibility of the rains continuing The landslides that were reported in Inchipara and Aniplavu villages of Theekoy panchayat did not result in any casualties, the district administration also said.

According to preliminary reports, Thalanad panchayat also suffered extensive damage, it said and added that accurate information has not been received from many places.

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