KOCHI: Heavy rains and floods battered parts of southern India over the weekend, killing at least 11 and displacing thousands in the state of Kerala, and setting off a landslide that killed at least three in neighbouring Karnataka, authorities and news reports said.
The death toll in rain-related incidents rose to 11 by Sunday and nearly 7,700 people were evacuated to around 275 relief camps across Kerala, a state government minister said.
Kerala’s Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said on Monday he would be meeting district officials to review relief camp arrangements. On Sunday, he said clean-up operations had begun in flood-affected areas.
The chief minister said that there had been no lapse whatsoever in Kerala’s flood management, rejecting criticism over the government’s handling of the crisis and accusing political opponents of spreading misinformation during a natural disaster.
The state is likely to see strong winds and moderate rainfall in some areas on Monday, the state’s disaster management authority said.
Heavy rains also forced closures of many schools across the state, while the government postponed a state-level teacher recruitment exam.
In the northern neighbouring state of Karnataka, heavy rains triggered a landslide that killed a couple and their son on Saturday, newspaper The Hindu reported.
Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2026