A NUMBER of families from Derry are caught up in the deadly floods in southern India.
Up to a dozen families are reportedly trapped in the southern state of Kerala, where monsoon rains have resulted in heavy flooding.
Almost 400 people have been killed and up to 725,000 people have been forced to seek refuge since the worst flooding the area has seen in a century began on August 8.
The families are believed to be members of the Derry Kerala Association and had travelled to India to visit family members.
Derry woman Mekha Ann Saji, who travelled with her family to the area said that they managed to escape the floods “only by luck”.
Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, she said: “We got out half an hour before the big flood. It was building up but then the major floods all around Kerala struck that day when we left.
“It was only by luck that we got back here.”
She added that “around 10 or 12” families from Derry are still trapped there.
Storm damage has estimated to cost the Kerala state almost £2.35 billion so far.
