CHENNAI (AP) – Schools, colleges and government offices were shut yesterday in parts of southern India as heavy monsoon rains triggered severe flooding. The worst-hit cities included Chennai and Bengaluru, the country’s industrial and information technology hubs.
Power cuts and flight cancellations caused disruption, and thousands of residents prepared for more downpours over the next 48 hours.
The June-September monsoon season has receded in northern parts of the country.
However, the northeast monsoon has brought heavy rains to coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Ker-ala, and southern Karnataka state. At least 33 people died last month in rains and floods.
Residents of the high-security Poes Garden area in Chennai, where top politicians, industrialists and celebrities live, woke up to severe flooding following overnight rains.
Television images showed people struggling through traffic congestion in knee-deep floodwaters.
