Even when they are offline, Kerala flood victims can use their Android smartphones or tablets to generate and share the plus code of their exact location, which can pinpoint their whereabouts and make it easier for rescue workers to reach them, Google said on Saturday.

Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday said that he hopes ties between New Delhi and Islamabad will improve after his "friend" Imran Khan was sworn in as Pakistan's 22nd Prime Minister.

"Please give us a helicopter. I am begging you. Please help me, people in my place will die. Please help us. There is no other solution, people have to be airlifted. We did what we can with fishing boats we procured using our political clout. But we can't do more. The armed forces need to come here, please help us," this was a distress message on Friday night by Chengannur MLA Saji Cheriyan.

Militants attacked the residence of a National Conference (NC) leader in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Saturday, police said.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately declare the floods in Kerala as a national disaster.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced Rs 500 crore financial assistance for flood-ravaged Kerala where hundreds of people have died, lakhs have been rendered homeless and property worth millions of rupees has been destroyed in one of the worst floods and torrential rain in recent history.

 The State Bank of India (SBI) has donated Rs 2 crore for the Kerala flood victims and initiated several other ground-level measures in the deluged state, an official said on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his aerial survey of the massive loss and destruction triggered by the torrential rains in Kerala, after it was initially called off due to bad weather.