Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 19: A total of 846,680 people made homeless by devastating floods in Kerala are sheltering in 3,734 camps and the last stage of rescue operations is now on, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday.
"Our prime concern was to save lives. It appears it has been met," Vijayan told the media amid reports that the floods, the worst since 1924, have left around 370 people dead and led to widespread destruction.
He said the next task would be to help people get back to normal life, for which a plan was being worked out.
"Rehabilitation will be done by various agencies," the Chief Minister said. He pledged that all towns and cities hit by the floods would be cleaned on a war footing.
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Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
