23 trains cancelled in flood-hit Kerala

: As many as 23 trains were cancelled and two services were partially disrupted in Kerala on Saturday due to heavy monsoon rains which gained strength since the last three days.

Most of the services from Palakkad division have been disrupted and a few started their journey from nearby Coimbatore, a senior Railway official told PTI.

"Most of the tracks in central and north Kerala have been damaged by the monsoon rains. At some places, tracks were flooded and at other places mounds of earth have fallen on the tracks. As soon as we clear the debris and the water recedes, we can resume the services," the official said.

The official also said services from Thiruvananthapuram to Thrissur were on and trains are using the Kottayam route.

Train services on the Alappuzha route had been affected since the past two days as trees fell on the tracks and electric lines were snapped.

The official further said a few long-distance trains from Thiruvananthapuram were being rerouted through