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Kerala Rains: 5 Dead, 2 Missing in Landslides, Flash Floods; IMD Forecasts More Heavy Rain
- •Heavy rains triggered landslides, mudslides, and flash floods across Kerala on Sunday, September 20, resulting in five deaths and two people missing.
- •Chief Minister V D Satheesan ordered hourly situation assessments, and the Disaster Management Authority Commissioner Vigneswari IAS met with Idukki and Kottayam collectors to discuss necessary steps, including evacuations.
- •In Malappuram's Nilambur-Amarambalam, five people were swept away by a flash flood in the Kottapuzha River; two bodies were recovered, one person rescued, and two remain missing.
- •A 35-year-old woman died in Kottayam after a landslide near Teekoy, while two others were killed in a mudslide in Idukki's Kottakamboor.
- •Weather alerts were issued, with Kottayam and Idukki upgraded to orange; the IMD forecasts heavy rain for Kerala over the next four days, despite a 28% rainfall deficit since June 1.
Key Questions Answered
Heavy rain on September 20, 2026, triggered landslides and flash floods across Kerala, leaving five people dead and two missing. Incidents included a flash flood in Malappuram's Kottapuzha River, a landslide near Teekoy in Kottayam, and a mudslide at Kottakamboor in Idukki.
Due to intensifying heavy rainfall, the weather alerts in Kottayam and Idukki districts were upgraded from yellow to orange on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department also forecast continued heavy rainfall across parts of Kerala over the subsequent four days.
The heavy rain spell arrived even as Kerala had recorded a 28% rainfall deficit between June 1 and September 17, according to data from the India Meteorological Department. Meanwhile, the IMD also warned that coastal Karnataka would experience widespread wet weather through September 25.
