At least five people have been killed after days of unexpectedly heavy rainfall pounded the southern India state of Tamil Nadu, state Disaster Management Minister K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran said on Tuesday.

The victims were killed either by lightning or collapsed buildings, he said, while over 500 mud and thatch houses and four brick houses had also been destroyed so far.

Floods unleashed by days of heavy rain also killed 12 people in Sri Lanka, the disaster management agency said. In the town of Kurunagala, a girl died after a house was damaged by a landslide.

The meteorological department said it expects the rain to ease in the next two days but stressed people should remain vigilant, while Tamil Nadu has issued a red alert in Chennai until Thursday. Local weather authorities have predicted light to moderate rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall in isolated pockets.

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