The south Indian state of Kerala has been battered by extremely heavy rains in the last few days and shocking footages of landslides and waterlogging have been surfacing online. But in an incident, which is sure to leave you teary-eyed, a 19-year-old boy in Kerala is said to have killed himself after his school certificates and documents were destroyed in the flood.
A resident of Karanthur in the Kozhikode district, the boy, identified as Kailash, and his parents have moved to a relief camp a few days ago after their home was flooded. The boy had recently got admission at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and had bought new clothes and also saved up some money for further studies.
However, Kailash was in for a shock when he returned home on Sunday, August 19, and found that all his certificates was soaked in water and ruined, reported the Press Trust of India. He is then said to have hanged himself, and the incident came to light when his parents visited the house later that Sunday to clean up.
Kailash's body was found hanging in the house, a police official told PTI. His parents have now been left shattered and Kailash's father, a labourer, said that all his hopes were riding on the 19-year-old.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been displaced in the floods and living in relief camps. Hundreds of residents have lost their homes and belongings and a woman in Chengannur in the Alappuzha district said that she too had lost all her documents in the floods and that her family did not even know if she was alive.
"All my belongings, my Aadhar and Ration cards and ID proofs are all gone. Only I am alive. My relatives do not even know I exist," she told PTI.
The rainfall in the state has finally subsided and relief operations have picked up pace. Bringing a ray of hope, the Indian Meteorological Department has also said that Kerala is unlikely to receive much rain in the next five days, which will make the rehabilitation process easier.
Several areas in Kerala have remained cut-off due to the rain and the Kochi Airport also suspended operations until August 26, the INS Garuda Kochi Naval Air Station has opened it doors to commercial flights, a few of which landed on August 20 and returned packed with passengers.
Several states have come together to help the ravaged state and personnel of the Indian Army, Air Force, the Navy, NDRF and the Indian Coast Guard, with the help of volunteers, have been working round the clock to rehabilitate residents.
Speaking of the situation in the state, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Indian Express: "The focus of the state government will be to bring life back to normalcy even as rescuing the people stranded in remote areas continues. Rehabilitation of the affected will be taken up with the cooperation of the local people. Apart from ensuring facilities at relief camps, those who are still staying in their homes, will be given provisions."
