By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Heavy monsoon rains lashing Kerala for the past two days have claimed the life of a 10-year-old and a woman while eight people are reported missing. Besides, hundreds of houses and agricultural crops have been damaged, an official said Friday.
A 10-year-old boy was washed away in Pathanamthitta district and his body recovered later. A middle-aged woman in Kollam district was electrocuted after she stepped on a live electricity cable.
A boat with eight on board drowned at Vadakara in Kozhikode district. Four passengers swam to safety.
A fishing boat was damaged in the seas off Tellicherry and the four fishermen on board were reported missing.
The rail traffic to and from Thiruvananthapuram was disrupted Friday morning after an uprooted tree fell on a train engine. Train traffic resumed late in the afternoon after fire brigade workers swung into action to remove the debris.
Traffic on the Ernakulam-Alwaye section also was halted for the same reason.
The rains have completely destroyed nearly 50 houses across the state and partially destroyed hundreds of other homes as well as swamped hundreds of acres of agricultural crop.
Small dams in the state are reported to be full.
The state government has opened 17 camps where nearly 2,500 people, especially from the coastal areas, have been rehabilitated.