Flood toll touches 147

New Delhi/Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram: The death toll from floods in Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 147, state authorities said on Sunday, as rescue teams raced to evacuate people from submerged areas.

Heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps, while train services were cancelled in several flood-hit areas.

In Kerala, at least 60 people were killed in rain-related incidents while 2,25,000 people were in relief camps in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday. "Several houses are still covered under 10-12 feet deep mud. This is hampering rescue work," Vijayan said.

The worst affected places are near Meppadi in Wayanad and Kavalapara in Malappuram districts and it's here where the various rescue teams are working hard to recover bodies of those trapped under a huge pile of mud.

Authorities worried that rescue operations would be hit by thunderstorms and rainfall predicted in some parts of Kerala.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for three districts on Sunday — Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod in Kerala.

In Karnataka, several structures at world heritage site Hampi, an ancient town, were flooded.

So far 60 people have died in rain-related incidents, said state chief minister B S Yediyurappa, adding nearly 227,000 people were staying in relief camps.

In the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, a flood alert has been sounded in five villages following discharge of surplus water from Pykara dam.