The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an orange alert for six districts in Kerala for heavy rain, even as the remaining eight districts have been put on a yellow alert.

The orange alert was issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur, with the met department predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.

The weather department said rainfall of 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm could occur over 24 hours in areas under the orange alert. Thunderstorms accompanied by surface winds of up to 40 kmph were also likely at isolated places. Light rain is also forecast in parts of Kollam, Palakkad and Kannur.

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The alert comes even as five people were killed on Sunday after a sudden flash flood swept through the Kottapuzha River in Nilambur’s TK Colony area of Kerala’s Malappuram district, with three bodies recovered on Monday as rescue teams resumed the search for a missing woman.

Six people were swept away when the river suddenly surged yesterday evening near the TK Colony eco-tourism centre. The flash flood came after heavy rain in the forested areas upstream, officials said.

Two bodies were recovered on Sunday night itself, while three more were found after the search operation resumed on Monday morning.

Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar, who is camping at the spot said the receding water level had helped rescuers intensify the operation.

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“And we expect to trace all the missing persons soon,” he told reporters.

Are people still missing?

Officials said all five dead were tourists. They were from Tirur, Edarikode, karuvarakundu, Wandoor and Chettiyarammal.

The search is still on for one more local resident who was washing clothes on the riverbank when the strong current swept her away.

A joint team of the National Disaster Response Force, Fire and Rescue Services personnel and local residents is involved in the search.

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The operation were called off late on Sunday because of strong currents and poor visibility.

Kerala CM on rain situation

Chief Minister V D Satheesan has directed authorities to assess the state’s rain situation every hour after Sunday’s flash flood situation.

The Chief Minister’s Office said Disaster Management Commissioner Vigneswari IAS held a meeting with the collectors of Idukki and Kottayam to review the situation. SMS alerts were also issued in the two districts, with collectors asked to take necessary measures, including evacuation wherever required.

The state government has also directed the immediate deployment of a special Disaster Management Force team to the Nilambur-Amarambalam area, where the flash flood swept people into the Kottapuzha River yesterday.