The Indian Air Force, the army, and other rescue teams are conducting relief operations.
Unprecedented heavy rainfall battered districts of Tamil Nadu and has brought regular life to a standstill following massive flooding in the state's southern districts. The Indian Air Force, the army, and other rescue teams are conducting relief operations. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain in the state. Three people have been killed in rain-related incidents in the state.
Around 500 passengers have been stuck for the last 24 hours at the Srivaikuntam railway station in the Tuticorin district as the station has been inundated following heavy rain and the train tracks have been damaged. The Indian Air Force has started air-dropping relief material for stranded train passengers and unwell passengers will be airlifted by the IAF choppers. Thirteen buses are ready to take the stranded passengers to safety.
Due to soil erosion, the ballast over which railway tracks were fixed was washed away in Srivaikuntam and iron tracks with only supporting cement slabs were seen dangling precariously. Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are struggling to reach the stranded passengers due to severe floods, efforts are on to reach them, officials said.
A special train at Maniyachchi station will bring the stranded passengers to Chennai, while floods continue in Tuticorin.
Though rainfall activity has almost come to a halt in most parts of southern Tamil Nadu, the inundation is still heavy, which continues to affect normalcy.
Army, Air Force Join Relief Ops
The Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force has deployed its Mi-17 V5 helicopters in the relief mission. The Sulur Air Force Station is in action for Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations. Food and medical packages are being air-dropped in the Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts of the air force.
The Indian Army rescued flood-affected people from the Vasavappapuram area in Thoothukudi. Around 118 people from the area were rescued.
"Owing to incessant rains in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Army's Relief Column was activated at Vasaipuram, Tamil Nadu, today. Till 9:30 pm, 17 women and 13 others, including children, were evacuated by the first column. The second column evacuated 12 women, including one pregnant woman, six children, including an infant and 12 others. Simultaneously, 26 women, 10 children and 28 others were evacuated by the third column," the Indian Army said in a statement.
Army troops assisted in the rescue of over 100 people, including 54 women, a pregnant lady and 19 children near Thoothukudi, the Defence PRO Chennai said.
Chief Minister Writes To PM
Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his appointment on December 19 to discuss rain and the flood situation in southern parts of the state.
Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Tirunelveli are the four southern districts hit by the very heavy rainfall. Kayalpattinam in Tuticorin received 95 cm of rain in 24 hours.
With River Thamaraparani running in spate with the release of waters from the Papanasam dam, waters have entered homes in several low-lying pockets of Tuticorin and Tirunelveli.
More than 7,000 people have been evacuated in these four districts
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are finding it difficult to access underwater regions. The discharge from reservoir and lakes continue in the districts.
18 trucks with food and other relief materials are deployed to Tuticorin from the neighbouring districts and three more NDRF teams have been sent to the flood-affected districts.