PM heads to Chennai as floods kill 269 people

While it hasn't rained in Chennai for about 12 hours now, the city's troubles are far from over. Even as areas in the state caught a break from the incessant downpour, lakes continued to overflow, making rescue operations tougher for volunteers and government forces. Here are the top developments:

• Chennai has received about 49 cm of rain in the last 24 hours alone. About 35 lakes and reservoirs continue to spew water over their banks into Chennai, including three lakes in Kanchipuram district. With the Met department's forecast of more rain for the next 72 hours, the city remains at risk.

• The Saidapet bridge over the Adyar river was closed off last night as the river spilled water onto the road. The reasons cited include the release of about 30,000 cusecs of water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir into the river over the last two days, causing the narrowing stream to flood its banks.

Disaster Management

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed additional teams and with up to 1000 jawans present, the NDRF has rescued more than 2400 people so far. Rescue operations are expected to continue as over a 100 boats have been put to use.