Iran Press/Asia: Thousands of rescuers were continuing efforts to reach out to stranded people and get relief supplies to isolated areas by hundreds of boats and nearly two dozen helicopters.
According to Indian sources, weather conditions had improved considerably and expected the nearly 10,000 people still stranded to be rescued by Monday.
An estimated 800,000 people have taken shelter in some 4,000 relief camps across Kerala.
At least two trains carrying about 1.5 million liters, 400,000 gallons, of water moved to the flooded areas from the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra on Sunday, Indian railway official Milind Deouskar said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
Officials estimate that more than 10,000 kilometers, about 6,200 miles, of roads have been damaged. One of the state's major airports, in the city of Kochi, was closed this past Tuesday due to the flooding. It is scheduled to remain closed until Aug. 26.
The Indian government said a naval air base in Kochi would be opened for commercial flights starting Monday morning.
Kerala, famed for its tea plantations, beaches and tranquil backwaters, is frequently saturated during the annual monsoon. But this year’s deluge has swamped at least 20,000 homes and forced people into more than 1,500 relief camps.
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