Heavy rains have paralysed several districts of the state, inundating entire neighbourhoods, roads, and railway tracks, days after a cyclone hit India’s southeastern coast, causing widespread damage.

“The (toll) number could change,” federal finance minister Nirmala Sithraman told reporters, adding that more than 40,000 people have been rescued so far and efforts are underway to reach those still stranded.

The state is one of the major electronics and manufacturing hubs in India. Some southern neighbourhoods remained waterlogged today.

“We’re struggling to get tractors and boats with food and essentials through water in the worst-affected areas,” said M Balamurugan, who along with other volunteers has been distributing food and essentials.

Tamil Nadu recorded over 64mm of rainfall this week, more than triple the 20mm that would be normal at this time of year, the weather department said, predicting more rainfall in parts of the state over the next five days.

For some, the floods are reminiscent of rains eight years ago in state capital Chennai that killed 290 people and inundated large swathes of the city.