Flash floods and landslides have killed 164 people in Kerala in just 10 days, authorities said on Friday, as torrential monsoon rains continued to batter the southern Indian state.
The death toll has steadily risen over the past week as rescue workers scramble to reach thousands of people stranded by floodwater. The army, navy and coast guard have been sent in to assist, and fishermen have been asked to help with rescue efforts, CNN reported.
Kerala remains under a red alert, the highest warning level issued during emergencies in India, according to India's National Disaster Response Force, which has deployed 53 teams across the state.
A total of 780 personnel are now involved in the rescue mission. Meanwhile, over 100,000 people have been forced to seek shelter in relief camps, NDRF senior commander Rekha Nambiyar told CNN.
Search and rescue efforts have been further complicated by limited transport; railroad tracks and roads are too flooded to use, and operations at the international airport in the city of Kochi have been suspended until Saturday.
Rescue teams have taken to the air instead. Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala's chief minister, tweeted on Thursday asking residents to "stand in open areas on top of buildings and houses" to be airlifted.
Lifeboats and life jackets would also be airdropped to large groups of stranded residents, and 23 additional helicopters and 200 boats would join rescue operations, he added.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has asked the defense ministry to step up relief and rescue operations, announced Friday that he would visit Kerala that evening to "take stock of the unfortunate situation."
Monsoon rains are to be expected in India this time of the year. But after days of abnormally heavy rains, 34 of the state's 40 dams reached full capacity and were opened to release water in an effort to prevent potentially disastrous breaches, officials said last week.
CAPTION: Volunteers and rescue personnel evacuate local residents in a boat in the Indian state of Kerala on August 16.
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