Two pregnant women were airlifted to safety by an Indian Navy helicopter as flooding swept through the southern regions of Tamil Nadu.

Footage from December 19 shows the women being lifted to safety from the roof of a building in Tirunelveli.

Heavy rain since December 17 has caused several districts to be inundated.

Indian navy ALH chopper rescued 17 people including two pregnant ladies in Tirunelveli, post the heavy flood in southern part of Tamilnadu .

Heavy rains have been observed in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu since December 17, under the influence of a cyclonic circulation. Several areas in districts including Kanniyakumari, have been inundated. Heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu unleashed floods in several districts of Tamil Nadu including Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari districts. One person died in the Tuticorin district and the air force has been requested for help in relief operations.
In the Thoothukudi district in south Tamil Nadu, an entire road is submerged underwater and the India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to extreme rainfall in the state. The Thoothukudi bypass road is under knee-deep water and several trucks are stranded on the highway. The unprecedented extremely heavy rainfall has flooded houses near the highway and the water, flowing at high speed, is moving down the slope of the road. Kayalpattinam, a city near Thoothukudi, recorded 95 cm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, which is more than the annual rain the small city receives. Thiruchendur in the Tuticorin District witnessed 69 cm of rain in just 15 hours till 1:30 am. Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli District recorded 26 cm. Meanwhile, Kanyakumari saw 17.3 cm of rainfall.