India, May 29 -- Southwest monsoon rains caused widespread damage in Kerala, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday to issue a red alert for eight districts of the state.

The red alert warning was issued for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts for the day. An orange alert was sounded for the remaining districts in the state.

For Friday, three districts, Idukki, Kannur and Kasaragod, were issued a red alert, while the remaining 11 districts were issued an orange alert.

A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall betwe...