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NEWS/ INDIA
India: Death toll in devastating Kerala floods rises to 77
Officials say at least 10 people were killed on Wednesday night, taking the toll to 77.
16 Aug 2018
The death toll brought on by floods, landslides and bridge collapses in India's monsoon-hit state of Kerala has risen to 77 as heavy rainfall threatened new areas.
WATCH: India: Monsoon floods, landslides kill dozens in Kerala state
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office announced on Twitter that Kochi International Airport - the main gateway to the region - would be closed until Saturday "due to heavy rains and resultant flooding".
Vijayan held emergency meetings with rescue officials in the state late on Wednesday and discussed the situation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The chief minister has requested the deployment of additional personnel from the Indian army, navy and other emergency forces who are already working across the state, famed for its pristine palm-lined beaches and tea plantations.
"Our state is in the midst of an unprecedented flood havoc," Vijayan said earlier this week. "The calamity has caused immeasurable misery and devastation."
Authorities have opened the gates of 34 reservoirs as water reached dangerous levels.
Vijayan's office on Wednesday said that the authorities were also worried about rising water levels in the massive Mullaperiyar dam, and urged officials in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu to release water from the reservoir.
Hundreds of villages have been flooded, more than 10,000 kilometres of roads and thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged across the state, officials said.
"We have asked all airlines, domestic and foreign, to reschedule their Cochin flights either from Trivandrum or from Calicut," Suresh Prabhu, India's civil aviation minister said on Twitter.
"For international flights, this will require special dispensation which has been granted considering the emergency DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) is coordinating," he added.
More than one million foreign tourists visited Kerala last year, according to official data.
