Met dept withdraws red alert for 7 Kerala districts as cyclone Burevi weakens
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 4: In a relief to Kerala, the Met department has withdrawn the red alert issued for cyclone Burevi and rains in the seven southernmost districts of the state as the deep depression was likely to weaken further into a depression.
The India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) had in a late night bulletin issued on Thursday withdrawn the red alert and issued a yellow alert for 10 districts of the state.
In a bulletin released on Friday morning, the IMD said the deep depression is likely to move slowly west- southwestwards and cross Ramanathapuram and adjoining Thoothukudi districts in Tamil Nadu during the next six hours with wind speed of 50-60 gusting to 70 kmph.
"It is very likely to weaken further into a depression (wind speed 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph) during next 12 hours," IMD said.
It has issued yellow alerts for the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram.
Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has rescheduled nine flights scheduled for Friday.
"The operations of the airport have been suspended till 6 PM today and all the flights were rescheduled. There is a review meeting from Delhi today to assess the situation,"C V Ravindran,Airport Director, told P T I.
The state government had declared a public holiday on Friday for five districts in the state in view of the red alert which was issued earlier.
The state has also opened over 2,000 relief camps to face any contingencies as heavy rains were expected when cyclone Burevi made landfall.
A deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal had intensified into a cyclonic storm 'Burevi' and the IMD had predicted heavy rains and wind in the seven southern districts of the state from December 3 to 5.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi, nine killed
New Delhi (PTI): At least nine people were killed after a fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
"Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital," a senior police officer said.
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours.
The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained, and efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
