The met office has predicted heavy rainfall till Saturday. Thirteen of the 14 districts in Kerala are on red alert - the exception is Kasaragode. Idukki is the worst affected.

PM Modi will go to Kochi today after attending the funeral of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The next morning, he would undertake an aerial survey of the state, said Union Minister K J Alphons. Following massive flooding of the runway, Kochi airport, the busiest in the state, has been shut till Saturday.

"Very serious situation is prevailing in the state as nearly all villages are flood affected. I had a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, the Home Minister and Defence minister, they have offered all support. More helicopters will be deployed soon," said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Telecom operators have announced free call and data services, extension in bill payment dates and other relief measures for seven days for customers for users in Kerala.

Battling savage weather conditions, the armed forces began airlifting marooned people in Trichur, Aluva and Muvattupuzha. Dramatic videos showed people stranded atop flooded homes and hills, being winched up by choppers.

Following instructions by PM Modi, the Defence Ministry rushed in fresh teams of the three wings of military for relief and rescue operations . Another 12 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed.

This morning, PM Modi tweeted: "Spoke to Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan again this morning. We discussed the flood situation in the state. Have asked Defence Ministry to further step up the rescue and relief operations across the state. Praying for the safety and well-being of the people of Kerala."

An alert has been issued from the Chief Minister's office which warned that the water-level in both Periyar and Chalakudy rivers will rise. "People in 1km radius of Chalakudy, and those inside ½ km of radius of Aluva, must evacuate the place immediately," a tweet from the official handle of the CMO said.

Many parts of Kochi have been flooded. Aluva is one of the worst-affected areas.Fresh landslides were reported from southern Kerala's Idukki and the northern districts of Malappuram and Kannur. Public transport system collapsed in many parts of central Kerala. Kochi Metro suspended services after the metro yard got flooded. Bus services to Kochi were affected after parts of national highways submerged. Train services have taken a huge hit.