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Local media showed footage of cars submerged under water, uprooted trees and people being rescued on rubber boats in various parts of Chennai, the largest city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and often called 'India's Detroit' due to its large car-making industry.
Greater Chennai Corporation, the civic body, said on Twitter it had opened up relief centers and medical camps across the city and was distributing food to flood victims.
Heavy rains were expected to continue for the next four days in different parts of Tamil Nadu, the southern Andhra Pradesh state and the union territory of Puducherry, India's meteorological department said in a statement on Sunday, asking fishermen not to venture into sea.
The rains will continue as low pressure is created by a cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal, it said.
Chennai, along with 11 other districts, were affected by more than 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rainfall, Tamil Nadu's chief minister M. K. Stalin told reporters, according to Reuters partner ANI. He added that he had asked all his ministers to help in recovery efforts.
"I have instructed officials and sent the national disaster management team to the respective areas," Stalin said. Local media showed Stalin inspecting flood-hit areas.
The rains in Chennai were the heaviest since 2015, weather blogger Pradeep John said on his Facebook page Tamil Nadu Weatherman.
The meteorological department also issued a moderate to high threat of flash floods in certain parts of southern India while the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority said it was inspecting certain low-lying areas.