Kerala, June 15: Heavy rains, which continue to lash the Kozhikode district of Kerala and other interior parts of the state, have caused havoc. Heavy rains have led to various landslides in Kozhikode, killing several people. According to the CNN News18, the death toll has increased to eight from seven after the dead body of a girl child was recovered from the debris this morning. Meanwhile, search and rescue operation for the six people who had gone missing is on.

Heavy rain has brought life to a complete standstill in many parts of the state. Landslides blocked two roads that pass through the western ghats – the Iritty-Makkootta inter-state highway that connects Kerala and Karnataka, and the Thamarassery-Sultan Bathery highway on Friday. Heavy rain is expected to continue till Sunday, the State Disaster Management Authority said and has issued a red alert for six districts – Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram and Thrissur. These areas may face both floods and landslides mishaps, say authorities.

Every year after monsoon arrives in Kerala, incidents of landslides are reported. The cause behind the mishap by experts is said to be the increased activity of stone quarrying and human intervention-- building construction, construction of roads, cutting of trees, etc. Kerala tops the list of having maximum quarries of small, big and medium size at various districts. Reportedly, the Palakkad topped the list among districts with 867 quarries, followed by Ernakulam with 774.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2018 02:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).