Chennai: At least 14 people have lost their lives due to the incessant rains across Tamil Nadu, news reports said, quoting Kumar Jayanth, principal secretary of the revenue department.
The overnight downpour has also led to heavy waterlogging in Chennai. Flight operations were also hampered as the Chennai airport authorities announced the suspension of arrivals from 1315 hrs to 1800 hours due to severe rain and heavy crosswinds. Departures will continue as per the schedule, it said on Twitter.
Heavy rain continued to lash Chennai due to the depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal, which according to the weather department is expected to cross northern Tamil Nadu and the adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by the evening.
As a result, several homes in the city have been inundated, while the power supply has been cut off in many localities.
Heavy showers have inundated around 55,000 hectares of land, of which, crops in 3,500 hectares have been destroyed.
The Tamil Nadu farmers who were looking to recoup losses after the second wave of the Covid are now staring at an uncertain future.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has announced that his government would support and take care of all the people who have been impacted by the torrential rain.
Meanwhile, special teams from Pudukkottai, Salem, Ramanathapuram, and Thanjavur to South Chennai have been rushed to speed up the relief and rescue operations. According to news reports, around 150 personnel have come to Chennai for rescue operations.
