Thiruvananthapuram, Tuesday 26 May 2009: Five people were killed and several others injured while hundreds of houses damaged, as torrential rains under the impact of the South-west monsoon wrecked havoc in Kerala.

Two people were drowned in Kollam. Three killed in Alappuzha, two of them drowned and one was a fisherman, who ventured into the sea, official sources said. About eight houses were completely damaged and 167 partially and the loss was estimated at around Rs ten lakh.
Monsoon also played havoc on the agriculture sector, destroying standing crops in 8.4 lakh hectares of land. The loss was estimated at Rs 4.30 lakh.

A relief camp was started at Koilandi Taluk in Kozhikode district. The officials said sea erosion was reported from the coastline of Kerala. Reports from various parts of the state said many low-lying areas were inundated. Meanwhile, the Met Office here, had warned of heavy rains in isolated parts of the state in the next 48 hours. They also warned of strong winds from the westerly direction with a speed reaching 50 to 60 kmph along and off Kerala coast and over Lakshwadeep in the next 24 hours.

The Southwest monsoon was active over Kerala and Lakshwadeep in the last 24 hours, with most places in the region getting heavy rains. The monsoon had advanced into the northern parts of the state. The city received the highest rainfall 11 cm, followed by Chertala with ten cm, the sources added.