The death toll from the worst floods in nearly a century in Kerala rose to 67 on Wednesday as rising water stranded tens of thousands of people and forced the closure of one of its main airports. The five latest fatalities from the rain that began a week ago came when authorities in the state were forced to release water from 35 dangerously full dams, sending a surge into its main river.

“Presently, 35 reservoirs in the state are releasing water. Many districts in the state are facing floods,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said on Twitter.

The state last saw such devastating flooding

in 1924.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in the state until Saturday, and it has issued a “red alert” for 12 out of its 14 districts. According to weathermen, heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds with speed reaching 60 kmph, is expected in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode districts.           

The Kochi international airport will stay shut until Saturday afternoon. An official statement said the state government would soon approach the Civil Aviation Ministry asking whether small flights to Kochi could be allowed to land at the naval airport. It would also request the ministry to utilise the other two airports in the state —Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram — instead of reverting the flights to Mumbai and other places, the statement said.

The chief minister asked officials to make necessary arrangements to take passengers, who may be landing in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, to their respective places by state-run buses.

A landslide between Kuzhithurai and Eraniel stations has delayed four trains — Guruvayur-Chennai Egmore Express, Kanyakumari-Mumbai CSMT Express, Dibugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express and Gandhidham-Tirunelveli Humsafar Express, railway sources said. A few passenger trains have been partially hit and rail traffic on Kollam-Punalur-Sengottai section has been suspended due to adverse weather conditions. On Thiruvananhtapuram-Thrissur section, trains will be delayed due to speed restrictions due to rise in water levels in rivers and lakes. The engineering department is continuously monitoring the safety of bridges, railways said.

The rain and floods have destroyed and damaged hundreds of houses in the past week and caused significant losses to crops in the state known for its spices and coffee.

A senior official with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose, said the seasonal rains have killed more than 200 people in the state since May and displaced many.