55 killed as winter monsoon continues to lash TN
14 Nov 2015
As many as 55 persons died as heavy rains continued to pound Tamil Nadu on Friday. As road and rail traffic was disrupted, the capital city of Chennai virtually came to a standstill.
The India Meteorological Department has warned of more rains in Chennai till the weekend, indicating that the worst may not yet be over for the metropolis. The rains were a result of the north-east monsoon.
Met officials attributed the rains to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and pointed to the confluence of winds coming from two different directions.
The government had on Thursday put the toll in rain-related incidents at 48, including 27 from Cuddalore district.
According to an official release on Friday, the toll stood at 55, as seven more persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in various parts of the state since Thursday night.
Chief minister J Jayalalitha expressed her condolences over the deaths and said that an amount of Rs4 lakh would be paid to the families of those who lost their lives.
The rains resulted in schools and colleges remaining shut in several parts of the state and examinations of the Madras University which were scheduled for Friday being cancelled.
The decision to shut down educational institutions was the third such such instance since 9 November, when heavy rains had lashed the state.
Several suburban trains were cancelled and long-distance trains were delayed following the downpour. People in several parts of Chennai staged protests against water stagnation and water-logging.
