The death toll in Kerala in the current spell of heavy rains climbed to 174, and to 324 overall this monsoon season, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday, as the ‘grave’ situation triggered by the state’s worst floods in a century left thousands homeless, destroyed crops, and disrupted air, rail and road traffic for a week. Boats were used to rescue people stranded in Alappuza and other parts of Kerala.
