Thiruvananthapuram
Strong winds that snapped overhead electric lines cut off power for thousands of people across Thiruvananthapuram early on Thursday.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) cautioned the public against venturing near broken power lines and urged them to report such incidents to 9496010101 or 0471-2555544.
On June 10, two pedestrians were electrocuted when they accidentally stepped on a snapped power line that lay unattended under a pool of stormwater on a partially inundated street at Chakka near the international airport here.
A KSEB official said the public utility had temporarily switched off power in some areas to prevent such mishaps from recurring.
The KSEB has deployed scores of men to repair the broken lines. Initially, the electricity workers would repair 11 kV lines and then move on to the low tension grid that supplies households online.
Large swathes of the city continued to remain without power as people scrambled to charge their mobile phones and laptops. The storm disrupted mobile phone, cable television and internet services, plunging much of the capital into a communication void.
A broken power line temporarily caused stoppage of trains in Chirayankeezhu locality. Customers inundated KSEB offices with calls. An official said the KSEB hoped to restore power in phases by Thursday evening.