Intense rains lashed Kerala on Sunday, uprooting trees across the state, including one that fell on a moving train in Thrissur and another that caused a fatality in neighbouring Kozhikode.Houses were damaged, rivers were in spate, and shutters of some dams were raised in the state as the southwest monsoon gained strength.An uprooted tree crashed onto a moving train near the railway bridge in Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district on Sunday morning.Tragedy was averted as the loco pilot acted swiftly to stop the train, authorities said, adding that no casualties were reported in connection with the incident.As the heavy downpour continued, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) placed five northern districts—Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod—under a ‘red alert’ for the day, predicting extremely heavy rainfall there.Almost all districts in the state received widespread rains since the previous night, causing severe waterlogging in low-lying areas and traffic snarls.Widespread uprooting of trees caused extensive damage to houses and vehicles across the state and claimed the life of a person in the Kozhikode district.Pavithran, a 64-year-old native of Villyappally in Kozhikode, died after an uprooted coconut tree fell on him while he was riding a scooter.Water levels in the Punnapuzha River, flowing through the Chooralmala-Mundakkai region in Wayanad, and the Korapuzha River in Kozhikode were steadily rising following incessant rainfall, residents said.In landslide-battered Chooralmala in Wayanad, continuous heavy rains caused anxiety among locals the previous night.”We are yet to recover from the shock of last year’s landslide. We haven’t slept properly at night, fearing heavy rains and something worse,” an elderly local told a TV channel.In Pathanamthitta district, a family narrowly escaped tragedy when huge uprooted trees fell on their tile-roofed house near Ezhamkulam during strong winds and heavy rains the previous evening.“My daughter narrowly escaped as she had just stepped out of the house when the trees fell on the roof,” a family member said, pointing to the broken roof of their old, small house.Five shutters of the Malankara dam in Idukki district were raised on Sunday morning to release excess water, according to an official statement.Residents living along the banks of the Thodupuzha and Moovattupuzha rivers were advised to exercise caution following the dam’s water release.Tragedy was averted in the heart of Kollam city when a huge flex board, erected by the roadside, fell, locals said.A house and vehicles were damaged after uprooted trees fell on them in Kunnathunad and Munambam Harbour, respectively, in Ernakulam district.An incident of a mudslide was reported in Kuppam in northern Kannur district following continuous rains.Due to the inclement weather, forest authorities on Sunday banned tourists from entering the ecotourism centre in Ponmudi.A zonal review meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, scheduled to be held in Kannur on May 26, was postponed due to heavy rains, a CMO source said.Meanwhile, the IMD issued an “orange alert” on Sunday for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Palakkad districts.The IMD had announced the early onset of the monsoon in the state on Saturday, noting that Kerala is witnessing the monsoon’s early arrival after a gap of 16 years.A ‘red alert’ indicates heavy to extremely heavy rainfall of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an ‘orange alert’ means very heavy rainfall between 11 cm and 20 cm.
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