Kannur (Kerala) | Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday criticised the state government over alleged lapses in disaster mitigation, relief operations and the search for fishermen missing following separate boat mishaps, while saying the opposition would extend full support to the government's relief efforts.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference here, he said the extremely heavy rain on July 31, which caused the current calamities, had the peculiarity that necessary warnings or precautions were not in place when it began.

Referring to the landslide at the Wayanad tunnel road construction area, he said it was another example of alleged negligence.

"Despite extremely heavy rain being forecast, a red alert was not issued in a timely manner as per the rules. Alerts were issued only after the rain had already become heavy. Similarly, despite warnings about the possibility of landslides, necessary precautions were not taken," he said.

The LoP also raised the issue of the death of swimming instructor R Rajesh, who died while trying to rescue a man trapped in floodwaters.

"The demise of Rajesh became a deep sorrow for Kerala. It is an incident that plunged everyone into tears. That young man lost his life while trying to save a fellow human being trapped in the flood. Rajesh was also a rescue worker. His body could be found only after four days," he said.

He criticised the alleged failure to arrange a freezer ambulance to transport Rajesh's body from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram.