NEW DELHI – Flash floods have claimed at least 27 lives in the southernIndian state of Kerala, officials said Friday, prompting the US to adviseits citizens to stay away from the tourist hotspot.

The coastal state, famed for its pristine palm-lined beaches and teaplantations, is battered by the annual monsoon every year but the rainshave been particularly severe this season.

Nationwide, more than 700 people have been killed in monsoon flooding. Lastyear 1,200 people perished.

In Kerala the army has been roped in for rescue efforts after two days ofrain that have forced authorities to open the shutters of 24 reservoirs todrain out the excess water.

Some 20,000 people have been displaced and 260 relief camps have been setup. Fifty-seven tourists including 24 foreigners were stranded in the hillstation of Munnar.

One of the five shutters of a large reservoir in the mountainous Idukkidistrict was opened for the first time in 26 years.

“Twenty-four dams have been opened so far, which is unprecedented and istelling of the seriousness of the situation,” Kerala Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan wote on Twitter.

“People living in the downstream areas of these dams must be cautious.”

In view of the devastation, the US embassy Thursday advised its citizens toavoid the areas affected and constantly monitor local media for weatherupdates.

Over a million foreign tourists visited Kerala last year, according toofficial data.

The government of Kerala, which has a population of 33 million people, hasimposed a ban on the movement of lorries and tourist vehicles in Idukki.

The monsoon, which lasts roughly from June to September, has claimed morethan 70 lives across the state this year and damaged crops worth millionsof dollars. APP/AFP