Kerala: Kozhikode landslide death toll mounts to 12

The number of deaths in the landslide at Kerala's Kattipara village in Kozhikode district has risen to 12. According to reports, two more people are yet to be traced, search and rescue operations are still on.

Landslides have also been reported in Karinchola, Pulluranpara and Chamal areas of the district. Thousands of people have been moved to relief camps.

The onset of monsoons in Kerala has caused much damage, loss of life and property in the past week.

The toll in rain-related incidents in Kerala, since the onset of the monsoon, rose to 45 on Saturday with the recovery of the body of a baby girl and a teenaged boy being washed away in flash floods in the district, officials said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed authorities to disburse compensation to those who suffered losses and whose property was damaged.

The government of Kerala, on Friday, had issued a red alert in northern districts -- Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Palakkad, Kasargod and Malappuram- in view of heavy rain forecast till June 18.

Several roads, including National Highways, crisscrossing Kozhikode-Wayanad areas, are still under a sheet of water, disrupting vehicular movement.

(With inputs from agencies)