Heavy downpour claims 55 lives in Chennai as city comes to a standstill

As many as 55 persons died as heavy rains continued to pound Tamil Nadu on Friday. As road and rail traffic was disrupted, the capital city of Chennai virtually came to a standstill, NDTV reported.The meteorological department has warned of more rains in Chennai till the weekend, the Hindustan Times reported, indicating that the worst may not yet be over for the metropolis. The rains were a result of the north-east monsoon.[caption id="attachment_2505450" align="alignleft" width="380"] Image courtesy: Twitter/ @Tamilnaduexp[/caption]Officials attributed the rains to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and pointed to the confluence of winds coming from two different directions, a report in The Hindu Business Line said.The government had on Thursday put the toll in rain-related incidents at 48, including 27 from Cuddalore district.According to an official release on Friday, the toll stood at 55, as seven more persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in various parts of the state since Thursday night.Chief Minister J Jayalalitha expressed her condolences over the deaths and said that an amount of Rs 4 lakh would be paid to the families of those who lost their lives, the Hindustan Times reported.The rains resulted in schools and colleges remaining shut in several parts of the state and examinations of the Madras University which were scheduled for Friday being cancelled, according to reports. The decision to shut down educational institutions was the third such such instance since November 9, when heavy rains had lashed the state, as reported by NDTV.The Times of India reported that several suburban trains were cancelled and long-distance trains were delayed following the downpour. People in several parts of Chennai staged protests against water stagnation and waterlogging.As the city faced an unprecedented downpour,  #chennai rains became a trending topic on Twitter.With inputs from PTI