Flood alert in 11 TN districts, 7 dead

Seven people were killed in flash floods following heavy rainfall in Karnataka's Mysore area and northern Tamil Nadu.

Flood warnings have been issued in 11 districts of Tamil Nadu amid reports that seven people have been washed away as the Cauvery and other rivers overflow following heavy rains over the weekend.

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More rains were predicted on Monday.

Reports from the districts said seven people were killed in flash floods following heavy rainfall in Karnataka's Mysore area and northern Tamil Nadu due to a trough in the Bay of Bengal.

Four people died in Vellore district's Madhanur village where the Palar, which has been dry for the last decade, is in spate.

Three others were reported killed in Salem district when a lake overflowed. The Thally lake in Dharmapuri district, one of Tamil Nadu's biggest lakes, has also breached its banks and 50 villages in the neighbourhood are inundated.

A highway near Hosur has been closed after serious damage because of the torrential downpour.

Drummers have been employed to give flood warnings in remote areas of Erode, Karur, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts.

Water levels in the Mettur dam, where the Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu, flowed at over 121 feet. The outflow from the dam is being increased slowly to give people living in low-lying areas time to move to safe places.

Buses have been provided for people to move out from the Bhabani and Pallipalayam areas.