Chennai: Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Red alert in five districts of Kerala on Saturday as the heavy downpour brought parts of the state to a grinding halt.


The streets in the five districts -- Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, and Thrissur -- were seen waterlogged after incessant rainfall in the state was witnessed. In a dramatic incident, all the passengers were evacuated from a bus submerged in water in Kottayam district with no loss of life reported. A high alert was issued in landslide-prone regions as landslides were experienced in several high-range areas located in the state. 






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IMD issued Red alert (extremely heavy rainfall) for five districts, orange alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall) for seven districts and yellow alert (heavy rainfall) for two districts of Kerala.




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Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram also received rainfall earlier in the day and IMD issued high alerts in parts of the state till October 20. It predicted rainfall in the city till October 20.