IMD has issued a heavy rainfall alert for several districts in Tamil Nadu.
Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall near Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, weakened into a deep depression on Sunday, but heavy rains and floods continued to pound several parts of the state and union territory. Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district was one of the worst hit in the last two days with several vehicles being dragged from a road into low-lying areas.
Visuals showed massive floodwaters at the Uthangiri bus station in Krishnagiri as several buses and other vehicles were submerged. Some buses and cars can also be seen being swept away slowly in the rapidly flowing floods.
According to officials, the Krishnagiri district has been receiving heavy rainfall for over 14 hours straight with the Uthangarai area recording the highest rainfall last night.
Rescue operations underway
Rescue operations are underway to evacuate stranded citizens in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry regions.
The Indian Army, earlier in the day, rescued an infant stranded in a house submerged in the floodwaters in Puducherry. The rescue was done on an inflated boat.
Several people from the IIT Madras are engaged in the rescue efforts of a family trapped under a landslide in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvannamalai district. On Sunday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team rescued the affected people in Cuddalore district with the help of boats.
'Heavy rain' alert in Tamil Nadu
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rainfall alert for several districts in Tamil Nadu - Nilgiris, Erode Coimbatore, Tirupur, Dindigul, Krishnagiri, Salem, Namakkal, Trichy, Karur, Madurai, and Theni. The IMD has also issued an 'orange' alert for heavy rainfall in Karnataka and its nearby districts till Tuesday due to the rough weather conditions.
Given the situation, all private and government schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu have been shut today.
According to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, over 7,000 people across the state have been evacuated and housed in 147 shelter camps.
In Puducherry, the water level in some localities of Krishna Nagar rose to nearly five feet, leaving residents of nearly 500 houses stranded - out of which over 100 have been rescued by the Indian Army, officials said.