Two fishermen died while 214 others were safely evacuated in rescue operations jointly launched by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard in the seas as heavy rains lashed the area under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi.
A report from Thiruvanathapuram said as many as 218 fishermen from Kerala, stranded in the sea off the coast due to inclement weather conditions,were brought safely to the shore even as the death toll rose to seven in the state.
The Coast Guard has deployed two ships - Vaibhav and Aadesh - besides a Dornier aircraft for search and rescue operations in the sea off Kanyakumari.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management R B Udhaya Kumar, deputed to Kanyakumari to monitor relief work, said steps have been taken to drain water from inundated areas.
To expedite relief works in the worst hit Kanyakumari, two teams of National Disaster Response Force and seven teams of state disaster response agency have been deputed.
In Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts, heavy rains and gusty winds uprooted 579 trees, it said, adding, efforts are on to remove them.
Cyclonic storm Ockhi had hit the southern districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Thursday, and caused widespread destruction in the southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.