Palakkad/Kochi | A woman and her son were killed when a wall of their house collapsed on Monday night, as heavy rains continued to pound many parts of central and northern Kerala, causing widespread destruction.

The incident was reported from Kottekad in the Vadakkanchery police station limits of Palakkad district.

The deceased have been identified as Sulochana, 53, and her son Ranjith, 33, the police said.

They were crushed to death when the wall inside their old house collapsed on them while they were asleep, the police said.

People living in the locality found them dead on Tuesday morning.

There were reports of trees getting uprooted and minor landslides taking place in several areas of Kerala's central and northern districts, officials said.

The shutters of dams in many districts were raised to release excess water, officials said, urging people living on their river banks to exercise caution.

In a daring rescue effort, fire force personnel on Tuesday saved four people, including an elderly man and woman, who were stranded on a rock in the middle of the swollen Chittoor river in Palakkad district.

The water level in the Chittoor river rose due to the release of water from the Moolathara regulator area, following rains in its catchment areas.

In Kannur district, two rain-related deaths have been reported.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded red alerts in two districts and orange alerts in seven districts of the state.

The IMD said a low-pressure system is expected to form over the West Central and Northwest Bay of Bengal by July 19, which would lead to widespread rainfall in Kerala.

The weather agency has put Kannur and Kozhikode districts on red alert for Tuesday, while an orange alert has been issued for Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, and Kasaragod districts.

According to weather forecasts, heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall is predicted in several areas, and extremely heavy rainfall is expected in one or two places.

Isolated regions in Kerala can expect heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall from July 17 to 19, while heavy rainfall is likely in isolated areas on July 20.

The IMD also said a significant volume of rainfall has been reported in various parts of the state till 12 pm on Tuesday.

According to manual observatories, Kannur district received the highest rainfall of 54 mm, followed by Palakkad district with 34 mm.

Automated Weather Stations (AWS) and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) also reported significant rainfall in various districts.

Chervuvanchery in Kannur district received 61 mm of rainfall, while Padinjarathara Dam in Wayanad district received 51.5 mm, it said.