Kerala floods LIVE updates: IMD says no heavy rain warning in state for next four days; 22,034 more people rescued on Sunday. Auto refresh feeds IMD withdraws red alert for Kerala for Sunday, reported DD News. Only three districts —Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulam — are on orange alert. All other districts have been issued yellow and green alert, hinting likely rainfall at some places. The 33 deaths reported during the day took place in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts. The death toll due to rains and floods in Kerala has gone up to 368 (since monsoon began), as 33 more deaths were reported on Saturday even as around 58,000 people were rescued in different parts of the state. With mass evacuation from Kuttanad region beginning, the number of people shifted to relief camps across Kerala has crossed 8.45 lakh. The displaced people have been accommodated in 3,746 relief camps across the state. A Kerala Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) official said that 2,10,119 people from Alappuzha have been sheltered in 678 camps across the district and neighbouring areas till 8 pm on Saturday. The maximum number of relief camps is in Thrissur district, where 1,99,720 people have taken shelter. The services at the Kochi international airport, which is among the busiest in the country, have been suspended till 26 August after flood water inundated the runway.The decisions were taken at a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's apex body to handle emergency situation, headed by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha. In the wake of massive floods in Kerala, the Centre on Friday decided to open Kochi Naval airstrip for use by commercial aircraft by Monday and deploy five more choppers, taking the total number of aircraft used for rescue and relief to 96. Bus services between Karnataka and Kerala will begin plying as Kerala State Road Transport Cooperation has restored all its services to Kerala sector, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Trissur, Palghat, Calicut, Cannanore and Thiruvananthapuram (except Kasaragod), reported News18. The first service starts at 4 pm to Thiruvananthapuram from Bengaluru on Sunday. The Alappuzha police have arrested five people, who have refused to lend their houseboats for rescue operations in the Kuttanad region, where a massive evacuation is on following flood in the Pampa river. The arrests were made on the direction of Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran, who hails from the district. Earlier the district administration had warned that it will seize boats and arrest the owners if they did not cooperate with the authorities. The administration has so far seized 35 houseboats. More than 2.10 lakh people have been evacuated from the district till 8 pm on Saturday. The operation has resumed in the morning by pressing more boats into action. Kerala has been receiving financial aid from various state governments across the country. The social media has also helped in the collection of funds from individuals and organisations. Anbodu Kochi or Do for Kerala and Kerala Bleeding were some of the organisations that have opened collection centres in Ernakulam and Bangalore respectively to collect items like baby food, sanitary napkins, mosquito repellants. People in Mumbai gather essential items to be sent to flood-hit Kerala on Sunday. People from Mumbai gather essential commodities to be sent to flood-hit Kerala The number of people evacuated from flood-hit areas has gone up from 4.5 lakh at 8 pm on Saturday to 8,46,680 till 9 am on Sunday, according to Kerala State Disaster Management (KSDMA) control room officials. In all 2,076,40 families have taken refuge in 3,734 relief camps across the state. The officials said that 39 people who were missing are yet to be traced. Over 130 people who were injured in the flood are admitted in various hospitals. 2,076,40 families have taken refuge in 3,734 relief camps across the state: KSDMA The Kerala state committee of the IATA Agents Association of India has launched a helpline to provide assistance to those travelling to and from Kerala in the wake of the flood devastation. The suspension of operation in the Cochin International Airport has affected large number of people, especially the non-resident Keralites who normally take their annual holiday during the Onam festival season. The helpline numbers are 9846166668 and 9995049243. IATA Agents Association of India launches helpline to provide assistance to those travelling to and from Kerala In Tamil Nadu, an almost 100-year old bridge over the Kollidam river in Trichy, that connects Srirangam with the mainland, finally collapsed at midnight on Saturday, three days after cracks had developed in two of its pillars. The old steel bridge had been in disuse since 2015 when a new bridge was constructed adjacent to it keeping in mind its age and condition. It was only being used by pedestrians and two-wheelers, that too rarely. The gushing waters of the Kollidam (a distributary of the Cauvery), with a flow of 1.7 lakh cusecs, had finally sounded the death knell to the bridge. Authorities who been monitoring the situation since the cracks developed were predicting its imminent collapse. ( Inputs by Mydeen Abdul Kadar/101Reporters) Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh tweeted on Saturday mourning loss of lives in Kerala. "Deeply saddened by the loss of valuable lives & mass destruction caused by the Kerala Floods. @UPPolice prays for the safety & well being of people of Kerala in this hour of grief. I appeal to all UPPolice Personnel to voluntarily donate 1 day salary for #KeralaFloods relief," he said. Kovind also praised the relief agencies for their response and commitment. President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor P Sathasivam on Saturday to inquire about the flood situation in the state. He expressed satisfaction that the Union and state governments were working in synergy in the rescue and relief operations in the state. He acknowledged the grit and resilience of the people of Kerala in coming together and assured that the entire nation was with them. Alappuzha District Collector S Suhas claimed that 97 percent of the people marooned in the flooded Kuttanad region have been evacuated and efforts are on to rescue the remaining. According to Suhas, 2,25,000 people from the region, which lies below the sea level, have been rescued. About 100 houseboats, 35 other large boats and four junkars have been deployed for the evacuation. He said that the district administration has launched a sector-wise search to identify people stranded in isolated places. At Chengannur in Alapuzha district, at least 5,000 are stranded, according to revenue officials. Thousands of people in flood-hit areas in Kerala are battling all odds to survive as the death toll has touched 197 in the past 10 days in the second spell of monsoon fury since 8 August. Many are still stranded in their homes with no food and sheaths of water around them at various places in Alapuzha, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts. The Railways has cancelled at least 18 trains, partially cancelled nine and diverted Sunday's Kanyakumari-Mumbai CST Express train via Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Dindigul and Erode. In a tweet, the defence ministry said that approximately 23,213 people were rescued by the armed forces on Sunday. More than 2,000 people were provided with medical aid. Twenty-two landslides were cleared and connectivity restored at 42 locations. Fifteen temporary bridges were also constructed by the Indian Army. West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo has appealed for help to those affected by the floods The National Cadet Corps' unit in Kottayam has rescued over 100 people, and has also provided relief to about 3,000 people in various regions of Kerala, News18 reported. The toll due to the devastating rains and floods in Kerala increased to 370, as two more deaths were reported on Sunday with rescue operations continuing in the worst affected districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur. “The flooding has definitely brought to light the existence of illegal stone quarries or a large number of unauthorised constructions on river beds,” Professor Madhav Gadgil said to PTI. "In this sense, it is definitely a man-made calamity where intense rainfall and human intervention have made it a serious disaster."<doc-sep>Kerala floods live updates: Over 10 lakh in relief camps; Centre declares disaster 'calamity of severe nature' Kerala got some respite from rain on Monday but the state faces the huge task of rehabilitation. 223 deaths have been reported and 10.28 lakh people are staying in 3274 relief camps, of which more than one lakh are kids below 12 years of age, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Stay with us for all live updates.Read Less<doc-sep>Kerala Flood: Rescue Operations Continue for Kerala Flood Victims Aug 20, 2018 10:10 PM IST India India Share Kerala is recovering, but teams still plan to go on rescue missions. They are using inflatable boats for the rescue operations. The Orissa based team, rescued about 2000 people in one day. Cottonhill School, Kerala is functioning as a Government aid centre. Rescue operations in a flood-ravaged Kerala require precise coordination. Army personnel travel to rescue 300-400 people who are still stuck.<doc-sep>
Crowds gather to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra on January 3, 2018. India is to restrict the number of daily visitors to the Taj Mahal in an effort to preserve the iconic 17th-century monument to love, its biggest tourist draw. Millions of mostly Indian tourists visit the Taj Mahal every year and their numbers are increasing steadily as domestic travel becomes more accessible. / AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGET (Photo credit should read DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images) TOPSHOT - An Indian woman sits inside her houses immersed in flood waters in Ernakulam district of Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala on August 10, 2018. - Flash floods have claimed at least 27 lives in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials said on August 10, prompting the US to advise its citizens to stay away from the tourist hotspot. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images) Indian volunteers and rescue personnel evacuate local residents in a boat in a residential area at Kozhikode, in the Indian state of Kerala, on August 16, 2018. - The death toll from floods in India's tourist hotspot of Kerala increased to 77 on August 16, as torrential rainfall threatened new areas, officials told AFP. (Photo by - / AFP)-/AFP/Getty Images (CNN) — As devastating floods hit India’s southern state of Kerala, thousands scrambled up to the higher floors in their buildings and crouched together on balconies, waiting desperately for help. And then, finally, the rescue boats came. Fishermen, who had loaded their boats onto trucks, voluntarily traveled to Kerala’s inner towns and villages, inundated with more than 10 feet of water. Most people gave them a hero’s welcome, grateful to be evacuated after a long wait. But others have hurled insults and abuse at the volunteers. Marion George, a 47-year-old fisherman, reached a home in the city of Kollam on Friday with a family of 17 trapped inside. When he told them that he was there to help them, he was asked, “Isn’t this a Christian boat?” Sugam Pokharel/CNN Fisherman Marion George says Hindu Brahmin flood victims would only let him rescue them if he did not touch them. When he replied that, yes, he was a Christian, the men in the family refused to get in his boat and waved him away. The men were from India’s highest Hindu caste, Brahmin, and would not go near George, despite their desperation. Five hours later, George was back in the same neighborhood and saw the same family calling for his help. He docked his boat close to their home but was again told by the men that they would only board if he did not touch them. “Normally, their attitude is like this only. We just thought that in this situation, they would have changed,” George said. Sugam Pokharel/CNN A volunteer fishermen rests on his nets in an evacuation operation in Kollam, India. George estimated that he rescued 150 people over two days until his boat was too damaged to continue. CNN spoke to several other fishermen who also reported being insulted and treated suspiciously by victims they were trying to help. The Kerala state government has said that more than 2,800 fishermen have been involved in the relief effort. More than 300 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced, as torrential rains triggered the state’s worst flooding in nearly a century, destroying homes and roads. People are clinging to anything that floats to get them out of their homes. People refuse to leave their homes There is also an issue of trust in strangers. People have been reluctant to leave their homes and belongings behind out of fear that they will be robbed. Arun Michael, a fisherman in Kollam, saw the news of the flash floods on TV on Wednesday last week and decided to help. On Thursday morning, he loaded his 32-foot boat onto a truck lent out by the local police and he and three others made their way to the district of Pathanamthitta. Sugam Pokharel/CNN Fisherman Arun Michael with his daughter, Andrea Marie, after he and other rescuers evacuated more than 1,500 people over three days. Over the next three days, Michael evacuated more than 1,500 people. He navigated his boat through strong currents and rising water levels, reaching flooded homes and helping people climb in. On the last day, he evacuated a total of 600 people. “What happened now, can happen to anyone.