Heavy rains batter Karnataka, Kerala

Bengaluru: Two labourers died while many houses were flooded due to heavy downpour in the city, authorities said.

The Meteorological department on Wednesday forecast more rains in the city for the next 24 hours.

Two labourers -- Dev Vrat from Bihar and Ankit Kumar from Uttar Pradesh -- drowned after the water level inside a pipeline they were laying at Ullal here increased suddenly due to heavy rains on Tuesday evening, police said. Another labourerer Trilok was lucky as he came out of the Cauvery water pipeline in time as the water level quickly rose. The heavy rain wreaked havoc in the city as water gushed into houses in many low-lying areas. According to the Weather department, many areas received 50 mm to 150 mm rain in the last 24 hours.

Kerala CM puts officials on monsoon alert

Thiruvananthapuram: With heavy rain lashing several parts of the Kerala and red alert being issued in four of its districts by the IMD on Wednesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issued a slew of directions to ensure the State was prepared to handle monsoon-related problems like landslides and flooding. In a meeting, the Chief Minister instructed local bodies to prepare a list of disaster- prone areas in their jurisdictions and provide it to village officers, police, fire services and disaster management authorities in each district.