Heavy rains in India, Sri Lanka kill 41, authorities say

Colombo, Nov. 11 (BNA) Heavy rains in southern India and Sri Lanka have killed at least 41 people, authorities said Thursday, while meteorologists expected the torrential rains to decrease in the next few days as flood-stricken communities pumped in.

The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rain in most of the affected areas, with occasional flooding in some roads and low-lying areas.

Peers in neighboring Sri Lanka said the rains there is expected to subside from Thursday as the low pressure that caused the bad weather fades.

“The worst is over and it will rain occasionally,” said Pradeep John, an amateur forecast expert who is widely followed in Tamil Nadu, India’s worst-hit state.

“The rain today will be intermittent, with big breaks and nothing alarming.”

Officials said the rains killed 25 people on the island of Sri Lanka, most of whom drowned, while landslides injured five.

State Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran told a news conference that 16 people had been killed in Tamil Nadu.

Many parts of the state capital Chennai, a hub for India’s automobile manufacturing, were flooded, and government officials used pumps to drain some of the deeply stranded communities.

Officials said thousands of people in low-lying areas have been moved to safety.

Many schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu remained closed while some train services remained suspended.

The northeast monsoon in India usually lasts from October to December, bringing heavy rains, particularly in the south.

FKN