Toll 342, PM Modi on visit to flood-hit Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The demand for declaring the unprecedented devastation wrought by nature as a national calamity will be a priority as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and colleagues meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his overnight stay here and the aerial visit of flood-ravaged districts.

Over 2.3 lakh people are currently lodged in 1,568 relief camps set up across the state even as the death toll since August 4 has gone up to 342. The NDRF and Navy personnel have rescued over 5,000 people who were marooned in various parts of the state.