A day after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala, rain wreaked havoc across the state on Friday. In light of this, the weather agency issued an orange alert for eight districts: Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Palakkad, and Malappuram.

The heavy rainfall led to widespread damage and incidents reported from several parts of the state.  In Thrissur, a scooter rider died after a tree was uprooted during heavy rain at Pozhankavu on the Sree Narayanapuram–West Vemballur Road. The victim, Manikandan of Blahayil Illam, was a resident of Karumathra. The tree fell on his moving scooter, killing Manikandan on the spot.

In Palakkad’s Edakkad, a lorry that lost control and skidded on the road collided with a two-wheeler. The bike rider, a native of Tamil Nadu, sustained injuries and is currently undergoing treatment.

In Kottayam, a mudslide damaged a vehicle belonging to Malloossery native Ambili. In Athirampuzha, a woman and two children sustained injuries after a clay roof collapsed during heavy rain. The father, Vinoy Mathew, who escaped unhurt, said that around 12.30 pm, all four of them were sleeping when strong winds and rain damaged their room and they were trapped inside after the roof collapsed. “My mother, who was outside the room, could not break open the door. Then people from nearby apartments helped us,” Vinoy said. The wife and kids are currently under treatment at a nearby hospital. 

In Kasaragod, residents of Chengala panchayat staged a blockade of the National Highway at Bevinja on Friday morning, demanding the construction of a service road from Cherkala to Bevinja via Kundadukka, retaining walls in landslide-prone areas, and adequate drainage to prevent rainwater and mud from flowing into homes and farmland downhill.

The immediate trigger for the protest was the flow of slush and loose soil from the Cherkala side onto the roads and into residential areas at Kundadukka over the past two days following heavy rain. Protesters said around 90 houses in the low-lying area were affected, leaving many residents stranded.

In Alappuzha, around 600 houses have been waterlogged in a single stretch at Kanjiramchira, Kommady and Arattuvazhy. Residents alleged that this was due to lapses in the construction of the new bypass as part of the national highway.

Panchayat members said a well-established drainage system was built 40 years ago, but during the construction of the new bypass, authorities closed the existing drainage and built a new one in an unscientific way. This led to water overflowing into nearby houses during rain, they said. 

In Kozhikode, an 82-year-old woman died after the ambulance carrying her to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital overturned near Kottaparamba in the early hours of Friday. CCTV footage shows the speeding ambulance losing control, crashing into a roadside footpath, and overturning in the rain.

Due to heavy rain, waterlogging occurred in several parts of Kozhikode city. On the Mananchira–Vellimadukunnu Road, incomplete drain construction work caused waterlogging in some areas.

In SM Street, strong winds accompanying the rain blew away roofing sheets from two buildings. Although the sheets landed on nearby buildings, no one was injured.

At Kidson Corner in Kozhikode, a large tree branch broke off due to heavy rain. A boundary wall within the Comtrust premises also collapsed. Parts of the wall fell onto a car parked nearby, causing damage to the vehicle.

In Ernakulam, around eight houses in Tripunithura and Vyttila were waterlogged. Strong winds blew roofing sheets off. Residents said if the rains continued, more houses would be waterlogged.