New Delhi — Massive landslides triggered by torrential rain swept away homes in hilly areas of southern India’s Kerala state on Tuesday, killing at least 60 people and leaving dozens missing, officials said. More than 100 people were injured and admitted to regional hospitals.
Reports in Indian news channels indicated that the death toll could rise to over 80.
The landslides hit several areas in Kerala’s Wayanad district early on Tuesday morning, surprising people as they slept.
Videos broadcast on Indian news networks showed houses, cars and even roads swept away by torrents of muddy floodwaters as rescue workers tried to pull people to safety. Hundreds of Indian army, air force and disaster management Members of the organization assisted with rescue efforts, but several areas were closed after many regional roads and a key bridge in the area were washed away by the floods.
The continuing bad weather also complicated rescue efforts, with India’s national weather bureau predicting more rain for the rest of Tuesday.
According to government officials in Kerala, at least 250 people have been rescued, but many are still missing.
“We fear that hundreds of people are trapped in the villages,” resident Raghavan Arunamala told Reuters news agency.
Rashid Padikkalparamban, another resident helping with the relief effort, told Reuters there were at least three landslides in the area, which started around midnight, and that a bridge connecting two neighborhoods had been completely washed away.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered the deployment of police drones and K9 units to support the search and rescue operations.
Wayanad, a hilly district in the Western Ghats, is prone to landslides during the monsoon season. The district is home to hundreds of families who work in tea and cardamom plantations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the deaths and announced that the government would provide 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,400) in relief aid to the families of those killed in the disaster and 50,000 Indian rupees ($600) for the injured.
The landslides are the worst disaster to hit Kerala since 2018, when more than 350 people were killed during massive floods.
Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Indian National Congress, urged the government to identify landslide-prone areas in Kerala, noting an increase in landslides in Wayanad and the Western Ghats. In 2019, 17 people were killed when a landslide hit the district.
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