14 Killed in Heavy Rains Southern India (Photos)

At least 14 people died in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu due to heavy rains, officials announced on Thursday.

Several districts in the state are on high alert, bracing for more torrents as a depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal was set to cross northern Tamil Nadu on Thursday evening.

The Indian Meteorological Department warned of intense rains in isolated places with heavy rains first hitting the capital, Chennai.

Photos and videos on social media showed residents wading through knee-deep waters and vehicles nearly submerged in the heavily flooded roads.

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N Subbaiyan, the director of the state’s disaster management, said two people died in the last 24 hours, adding that the other 12 were killed over the past few days.

In addition, at least 800 huts have been destroyed this past week by the rains, according to Kumar Jayant of the state's revenue department.

In response, multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed to help local authorities with rescue efforts.

In Chennai, hundreds of people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas. Authorities have also set up over 100 relief centers and distributed free food, according to local media.

Flights into Chennai have been suspended.

Notably, the rains this week are among the heaviest to hit the city since 2015. Experts have warned that more heavy rains can trigger further flooding and devastation.