Eight persons were injured after being struck by lightning at Kozhikode beach area in Kerala on Thursday as thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and gusty winds lashed various parts of the state.

Of the injured, one person is admitted to the ICU ward of a government medical college hospital Kozhikode, an official of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said, adding that the remaining seven are in stable condition.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert in three districts -- Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam -- of the state and yellow alert in the remaining 11.

A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

The heavy rains crippled normal life in various parts of Kerala, with roads being waterlogged, water entering homes and trees being uprooted.

People in many parts of the state, including Kochi and Kottayam, had to relocate to relief camps as water entered homes due to the incessant rains.

Earlier in the day, the IMD announced the arrival of the Southwest Monsoon in Kerala.

Spurred by Cyclone Remal, the Southwest Monsoon set in over the Kerala coast a day earlier than predicted, it said.

On May 15, the IMD had announced the onset of the monsoon over Kerala by May 31.

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