Kerala rains LIVE: Death toll mounts to 21; PM Modi speaks to CM Vijayan

Live news updates: The Congress will elect a new party president next year; militants kill two migrant workers in Kashmir.

(Photo: ANI)

Live news updates: At least eight people have died in Kerala and many are missing after rains triggered landslides in Idukki and Kottayam districts on Saturday, prompting the state to seek the military’s help.

The Indian Army and Air Force are assisting civilian agencies is rescuing people in Koottickal and Kokkayar panchayats where over a dozen people are missing after landslides. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a meeting of his advisors to intensify rescue and said that all means will be used to evacuate people stranded in areas flooded, including Kottayam, NDTV.com reported.

The Hindustan Times website said 18 people had died in south and central Kerala on Saturday while 22 people were feared missing. News18.com put the death toll at 15.

India recorded 14,146 new cases of Covid-19 and 144 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, said the health ministry on Sunday, making it the slowest rise in daily infections in almost seven months.

HDFC Bank’s quarterly profit rose 18 per cent, helped by strong loan growth, as the coronavirus pandemic’s economic fallout waned. The bank’s loans grew 15.5 per cent from a year ago, about three times the banking sector’s rate.

12:11 AM

Coast Guard: 1,200-foot ship dragged California oil pipeline

Investigators believe a 1,200-foot (366-meter) cargo ship dragging anchor in rough seas caught an underwater oil pipeline and pulled it across the seafloor, months before a leak from the line fouled the Southern California coastline with crude.

A team of federal investigators trying to chase down the cause of the spill boarded the Panama-registered MSC DANIT just hours after the massive ship arrived this weekend off the Port of Long Beach, the same area where the leak was discovered in early October.

During a prior visit by the ship during a heavy storm in January, investigators believe its anchor dragged for an unknown distance before striking the 16-inch (40-centimeter) steel pipe, Coast Guard Lt. j.g. SondraKay Kneen said Sunday.

11:32 PM

WHO's technical group to meet on Oct 26 to consider emergency use listing of Covaxin

The World Health Organization's technical advisory group will meet on October 26 to consider the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of Covaxin, a vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech protecting against COVID-19, the global health agency's chief scientist said on Sunday.

"The technical advisory group will meet on Oct 26th to consider EUL for #Covaxin. @WHO has been working closely with @BharatBiotech to complete the dossier. Our goal is to have a broad portfolio of vaccines approved for emergency use and to expand access to populations everywhere," World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said in a tweet on Sunday.

Earlier this month, the WHO said Bharat Biotech has been submitting data to WHO on a rolling basis and submitted additional information at the WHO's request on September 27. The WHO experts are currently reviewing this information and if it addresses all questions raised, the WHO assessment will be finalised next week."

11:15 PM

Death toll in Kerala rises to 22, Centre offers assistance

The death toll in incidents related to heavy rains, including landslides and flash floods in Kerala rose to 22 on Sunday while Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered assistance to the southern state to tackle the situation.

Twenty two bodies, 13 from Kottayam district and 9 from Idukki were recovered from various rain-hit areas while NDRF teams continued their rescue operations.

The casualties occurred on Saturday due to landslides and flash floods in the hilly areas of Kottayam and Idukki districts following heavy rains, officials said.

In the high range Idukki district, where a travel ban is in place due to inclement weather, District Collector Sheeba George said two persons are still missing.

"Till now, we have recovered nine bodies. Two people are missing," she said.

7:28 PM

Two non-local labourers shot dead by terrorists in J&K

6:39 PM

Mumbai reports no Covid death

6:23 PM

Kerala sees 7,555 new cases

5:29 PM

PM Modi speaks to Kerala CM

5:10 PM

Kedarnath Dham receive snowfall following incessant rainfall

4:34 PM

Death toll due to heavy rains and landslide in Kerala stands at 21

3:43 PM

Uttarakhand: All trekking/camping barred from Oct 17-19

3:05 PM

IMD issues 'red alert' for heavy rain in Uttarakhand on Oct 18

2:12 PM

Kerala rains: IMD issues 'yellow alert' in 11 districts

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued an 'Yellow Alert' in 11 districts of Kerala for heavy rainfall, which has claimed the lives of 15 people so far in the state.

The alert has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alapuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts.

The Met department said that a low-pressure area over the southeast Arabian sea and adjoining Kerala has become less marked and there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall at many places with only isolated heavy rainfall over Kerala during the next 24 hours and further decrease thereafter.

2:10 PM