Photo: FirstPost

Incessant rainfalls have continued to swell reservoirs and rivers in Tamil Nadu, with the capital Chennai among the worst affected area.

Large parts of the city are under water, and its international airport has been closed for a second day.

Rains have caused the closure of schools for 17 days now, with electricity and communication lines suspended.

More rain fell on the city in one day than in the UK in an entire year, with  a record 49 cm of rainfall in Tambaram in 24 hours, from 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday.

India's Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force joined the State Fire and Rescue Services and the police in rescue efforts, however the sheer number of people requiring help means that many are still unattended to.

See aerial footage from Puthiya Thalamurai TV (in Tamil):

Chennai's residents have come together on social media, reaching out to people in need using hashtags such as #chennaifloodshelps, in a remarkable show of resilience.

"Unfazed by the massive crisis, Chennaiites reached out to the homeless, giving shelter and rescuing hundreds of marooned people via the social network. At places such as Tambaram, Mudichur and Velachery in the southern suburbs and Anna Nagar in western Chennai, people rescued fellow citizens from buildings with submerged ground floors and water rising to the first floors. Displaying ingenuity in the face of crisis, they used makeshift boats made of drums and rubber and whatever else they could lay their hands on to bring people to safety." The Hindu reported.

There has been widespread criticism by Tamils of the lack of coverage in Indian news outlets, with many major newspapers ignoring the floods on their front pages.