 |
|
Indians
help a man carry his two-wheeler on a cycle cart as they wade through a
waterlogged subway in Chennai, India, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. (Image source:
www.accuweather.com)
|
Weeks of torrential rains
have forced an airport in southern India to close and have cut off several
roads and highways, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded in their
homes, government officials said Wednesday. Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju told
reporters that the annual winter monsoon rains in Tamil Nadu state have been
the heaviest the region has seen in decades. Army and naval rescue teams have
joined several teams of National Disaster Response Force to help evacuate
residents stranded in low-lying areas.
Associated Press report continues:
The
airport in the state capital Chennai was closed earlier on Wednesday, and
television channels reported that most main roads in the city were blocked by
several feet of water and that power supplies had been cut. People could be
seen wading in waist-deep water in several parts of Chennai. In several of the
city's taller buildings all the ground floor apartments have been flooded
forcing people to seek shelter with their neighbors.
The
state has seen heavy rains for two weeks, and while the deluge slowed down to a
drizzle Wednesday morning, the meteorological department has predicted more
heavy rain over the next two days.
 |
|
Fresh
inundation of heavy rains in Chennai after several weeks of downpours. Image
credits: Press Trust of India
|
The
rains have resulted in levels of the Adyar river, which runs through the city
before draining into the Bay of Bengal, rising to a danger mark. The threat of
the river overflowing its banks has led to fears the flooding could worsen.
The flooding has cut off
several sections of the East Coast Road, a major highway that connects Chennai
to adjoining Pondicherry.
No comments:
Post a Comment