Rahul Gandhi visits flood relief camps in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Congress president Rahul Gandhi today embarked on a tour of flood-affected areas in Kerala and spoke to people at relief camps, days after the deluge left a trail of destruction and death in the state.nnGandhi, who arrived here this morning from the UK, visited relief camps in Chengannur and Alapuzha. He would also visit some camps in Ernakulam district later in the day.nnDuring his two-day visit to Kerala, he will also tour flood-hit areas of Wayanad and Kozhikode districts tomorrow.nn”President of @INCIndia @RahulGandhi left Thiruvananthapuram this morning for flood-affected areas in central Kerala. His two-day visit will cover districts with the heaviest inundation over the last two weeks.” Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said on Twitter.nnIn Chengannur, the Congress chief visited the relief camp at the Christian College and that at an engineering college. He spoke to people at both the centres.nnLeader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala and Congress’s state unit president M M Hassan were among those present at the camps.nn”Congress President @RahulGandhi meets the flood affected at the Relief Camp at the Engineering College in Chengannur, Kerala #RebuildingKerala,” the party tweeted, attaching photos of Gandhi meeting people at the camps.nnGandhi will also be meeting fishermen and party volunteers involved in relief work.nn”I will be in Kerala tomorrow & the day after, visiting flood hit areas & relief camps in the state. I will also meet with fishermen, volunteers & others who have been working tirelessly & selflessly to help those in need. #KeralaFloods,” he had tweeted yesterday.nnAccording to data released this morning by the Disaster Management’s state control room, 474 persons have died in the rains and floods since May 29, when the South West Monsoon set over Kerala.nnSource: Press Trust of India