Chennai rains throw life out of gear, 6 dead so far
Several parts of Chennai went without electricity on Thursday night as heavy rains pounded the metropolis and its suburbs inundating several low-lying areas.
The rains that began at 3 pm on Thursday continued till the small hours of Friday resulting in waterlogging on arterial roads including Mudichur, Kovilambakkam, some parts of Tambaram and Madipakkam.
However, the water on major roads receded on Friday morning.
The city received nearly 30 cm rainfall in less than 24 hours with the Marina beach area recording the maximum 29.6 cm rainfall between 8.30 am on Thursday and 8.30 am on Friday with beachfront and service lanes.
Six people died in the city owing to various rainrelated incidents. The electricity supply was restored on Friday afternoon. The low-lying areas in north Chennai including Madipakkam, Kovilambakkam and parts of Tambaram continued to be grim till Friday night.
The residents either shifted to upper floors or fled their houses over the fear of flooding. Civic authorities and government officials used motors to pump out water from several areas and opened relief shelters in several areas to accommodate people. Greater Chennai corporation distributed continue distributing food packets. Several ministers went around the city overseeing clearing operations.