Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 18 : In view of the grave situation in Kerala due to floods, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has call off his proposed trip to the US for medical treatment, an official said on Saturday.

Vijayan was scheduled to leave for Mayo Clinic in the USA on Sunday.

Since May 29, rains and floods and have claimed 357 lives in the state, and over 3.53 lakh people are living in over 2,000 relief camps. Vijayan is on a daily basis engaged in numerous meetings coordinating the operations.

According to the Chief Minister's travel programme, which was confirmed after he returned from the US last month, he along with his wife was to leave on Sunday for the treatment of an undisclosed ailment, and was scheduled to return after 17 days.

It is, however, not known if his trip has been deferred or cancelled altogether.

During his trip to the US last month, after attending two functions, he had gone out of the radar and it was only after he returned a week later that the news surfaced that he will be going for further treatment.

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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.