The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala in Kerala was cordoned off on Monday the Pampa Triveni bridge in Pathanamthitta district got flooded. The shutters of the Kochupampa and Anathode-Kakki dams were opened due to heavy downpour, causing the bridge to get submerged, The News Minute reported.

Travancore Devaswom Board President A Padmakumar has appealed to pilgrims to avoid Sabarimala for now. “It is dangerous to travel through the bridges now,” he said. The authorities have issued directives to stop the pilgrims at Pathanamthitta and Erumely.

The pilgrims are headed to Sabarimala for the Niraputhari ritual, for which the temple is expected to be opened on Tuesday, The New Indian Express reported.

At least 39 people have died in rain-related incidents in Kerala until Monday. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh described the situation “very serious”, and announced a flood-relief package of Rs 100 crore for the state.

Meanwhile, a team of wildlife enthusiasts and forest officials saved an elephant from being swept away in flood waters near the Athirapally waterfall in Thrissur district on Monday, the Hindustan Times reported. The animal had managed to climb on a rocky terrain but could not move out, until help arrived.

“The elephant was tired and it seems it was stranded there for more than 24 hours,” an unidentified senior forest official said. “We found gushing water should be controlled to save it. We immediately approached the officials of Peringalkooth dam and they agreed to shut three sluice gates for two hours. Once the water receded, we burst crackers and led the tusker to the forests.”

On Sunday, a team of National Disaster Response Force officials had rescued a pack of dogs marooned for two days on a newly-formed island near Cheruthoni in Idukki district. The rescue operation continued for over six hours.