Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Kerala Faces More Heavy Rain After Landslides Kill Five
Heavy rain has caused floods and landslides in Kerala.
Five people have died, and two others are still missing.
Several districts, including Malappuram, Kottayam and Idukki, were badly affected.
In Malappuram, people were swept away when the Kottapuzha River rose suddenly.
Two bodies were found, one person was rescued and two people were still missing.
A landslide in Kottayam killed a woman and injured her friend.
V D Satheesan ordered officials to check the situation every hour.
Weather officials warned that more heavy rain and thunderstorms could arrive.
Heavy rain, mudslides, landslides and flash floods have killed five people and left two missing in Kerala.
The worst-hit areas include parts of Malappuram, Kottayam and Idukki, including Kottakamboor in Vattavada.
In Malappuram, two people died, one was rescued and two remained missing after a group was swept away in the Kottapuzha River.
A landslide near Teekoy in Kottayam killed a woman from Tamil Nadu and injured her friend.
The India Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain for four days and thunderstorms in isolated parts of Kerala on September 20 and 21.
- Who
- Five people died and two remained missing; authorities led by V D Satheesan are coordinating the response.
- What
- Heavy rain caused mudslides, landslides and flash floods across Kerala.
- When
- The flooding and landslides were reported on Sunday and continued into Monday; more rain was forecast over the next four days, with thunderstorms forecast for September 20-21.
- Where
- Affected areas included Malappuram, Kottayam and Idukki, including the Kottapuzha River and Kottakamboor in Vattavada.
- Why
- The incidents followed heavy rainfall, flash floods and a sudden rise in the Kottapuzha River.
- Deaths and missing
- Five people were reported dead and two missing.
- Most affected districts
- Malappuram, Kottayam and Idukki.
- Malappuram incident
- Two bodies were recovered, one person was rescued and two remained missing after five people were swept away in the Kottapuzha River.
- Kottayam incident
- A woman from Tamil Nadu died and her friend was injured in a landslide near Teekoy.
- Government response
- V D Satheesan ordered hourly assessments and directed deployment of a special disaster-management team to Malappuram.
- Rain forecast
- The India Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain in parts of Kerala for the next four days.
- Weather alerts
- Alerts in Kottayam and Idukki were upgraded from yellow to orange; orange indicates 11-20 cm of rain and yellow indicates 6-11 cm.