(With inputs from agency)

* Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday that death toll in state due to the floods has risen to 164 since August 8. Nearly 2,23,000 people are living in 1 ,568 relief camps across the state.Live updates: Rescue operations in full swing* Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to reach Kerala tonight after the funeral of former prime minister A B Vajpayee. He is likely to undertake an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas tomorrow.* In most city hospitals, the staff strength has reduced to 30% to 35%, while the bed occupancy increased to 80% to 90%. Lack of liquid oxygen supply and diesel stock to run generators are two main crisis being faced by the hospitals.Many hospitals in Kochi had to cancel routine operations and OPD since Thursday.Read also: Oxygen supply, diesel stock major concern for Kerala hospitals* Nine members of a family died while rescuing the pets in their home. The neighboring house had collapsed due to a landslide near Peringavu.*Pampa river in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala continued to be in spate after it inundated several houses along the course and stranded hundreds of people, mostly on rooftops.* According to state officials, Kerala crisis could have been contained had the state “gradually released” waters from at least 30 dams, adding that the local authorities failed to foresee the imminent danger with high rain predictions.* Techies in Bangalore have used social media and technology to create a crowd-sourced map of trouble spots to arrange pickpoints for relief material. Several NGOs and individuals are pooling relief materials and sending them to neighbouring districts in Kerala like Wayanad, Kannur and Kozhikode.* Rough estimates show damaged crops and properties worth over Rs 8,000 crore even as a fresh red alert was sounded in 13 of the 14 districts in the state on Friday.Read also: Damage to crop, property in Kerala floods pegged at Rs 8,000 crore so far* Army, Navy, Air Force and NDRF personnel have begun rescuing people stranded in the worst affected areas of Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts from this morning. Local fishermen have also joined the rescue mission bringing in their boats to help in evacuation of the stranded people in various places in Aluva, Kalady, Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha and Chalakudy.* Desperate non-resident Keralites from Australia, the US and the UK were making fervent pleas to authorities through television channels seeking help for their dear ones.* The state government also decided to raise excise duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor till November 30 to mop up additional resources for relief and rehabilitation efforts, official sources said.