Flight operations at the international airport here were suspended on Thursday for four hours till midnight as a precautionary measure in view of heavy rains lashing the region, an official said.

Flights coming to the airport have been diverted, a spokesman of the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) said without elaborating.

Airport Operations suspended till midnight as a precautionary measure, he told reporters.

The operations were suspended as there was a rise in water level in Periyar river and a canal adjacent to the airport.

Heavy rains have been battering Kerala for the past few days and claiming eight lives on Thursday, bringing back memories of the worst floods in August last year.

The airport was rendered non-functional for a fortnight in August, 2018 due to inundation.

It had suffered damage to infrastructure, including a 2.6 km long walls that collapsed after the Periyar river overflowed. The estimated loss was then put between Rs 220-250 crore.