CHENNAI: State Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena on Friday announced that about 35 people died in the floods in Thoothukudi among the four southern districts.

Briefing reporters at the State Secretariat late on Friday, Shiv Das Meena said that till now about 35 confirmed deaths have been reported and 3,700 huts were damaged in the floods witnessed in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanniyakumari districts.

Adding that the extent of damage would be known after a comprehensive assessment gets over, the Chief Secretary said that damages to about 170 patta houses and death of 318 cows/buffaloes, 2,557 goats, and 41,500 poultry have been confirmed so far.

Pointing out that about 1.83 lakh hectares of crops were submerged in the floods, the Chief Secretary referred to the flood relief announced by Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday and said that the government has mobilised additional officials/staff of revenue (270), agriculture (100), animal husbandry (50) and fisheries (25) from other districts for damage assessment which began on Friday morning.

Noting that all PDS shops in Kanniyakumari and Tenkasi were functional and 770 of the 796 PDS shops in Tiruenlveli were functional, the rest would be made operational on Saturday, he said.

According to the Chief Secretary, traffic has been restored in 136 of the 173 damaged roads and 56 of the 69 small bridges in the four districts. Shiv Das Meena also said that about 100 of the 600 damaged (breaches) water bodies have been repaired and the government has mobilised staff, engineers and officers from other districts from various departments for the repair and restoration works.