Fresh spell of rains batter Chennai, major road caves in; schools, colleges remain closed

Chennai: Heavy rains continue to throw the normal life out of gear in many parts of Tamil Nadu including the most hit Chennai where several pockets of the city still remain submerged.

Due to heavy rains, a major road at Madhya Kailash signal in Chennai has caved in leading to severe traffic jam in and around the area.

Continuous downpour has forced the authorities to extend the rain holidays for the 16th day on Tuesday ordering the schools and colleges to remain closed till the situation returns to normal.

Meanwhile, the regional Met office has forecast 'scattered to heavy rainfall' today in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu following a trough of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal, closer to Sri Lanka.

The toll in rain-related incidents since the onset of the northeast monsoon last month rose to 122 on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier instructed the immediate release of financial assistance of nearly Rs 940 crore to deal with the flood situation in rain-battered Tamil Nadu, hours after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wrote to him for funds to sustain relief work.