Hundreds of rescue workers were searching through mud and debris triggered by a landslide in the southern Indian state of Kerala that has killed at least 151 people, police said.
Nearly 1,000 people have been rescued and 187 are still missing after a landslide hit the hills in Wayanad district on Tuesday morning due to incessant monsoon rains, officials said on Wednesday.
Heavy rains caused hills to collapse in one of India’s most attractive tourist destinations, sending mud, water and rocks flowing onto tea and cardamom plantations and small settlements — the worst disaster to hit the state since deadly floods in 2018.
The Indian Army said it had rescued 1,000 people and begun the process of building an alternate bridge after the main bridge connecting the worst-hit Mundakkai area with the nearest town of Choorlamalla was washed away.
Mundakkai is an area highly prone to disasters. However, mud, gravel and rocks reached the town of Choorlamalla, 6 km (3.7 mi) away.
“The landslide occurred at the top and then affected the lower valley areas where people were living. Right now the entire focus is on searching for people trapped in the entire hilly area and retrieving as many bodies as possible. [as possible]state law and order official Mr Ajith Kumar told Reuters news agency.
More than a dozen bodies were recovered overnight, while more than 300 rescue workers worked to pull out people trapped in mud and rubble, but their efforts were hampered by extremely heavy rain, blocked roads and unstable terrain, said police official Aijaz (who goes by one name).
Kerala’s Asianet TV channel quoted district officials as saying that about 350 of the 400 houses registered in the affected area were damaged.
The first landslide occurred at 2am on Tuesday (20:30 GMT on Monday), followed by another two hours later.
Local media reported that most of the victims were tea plantation workers. Television footage showed rescue workers wading through mud and uprooted trees to make their way to the trapped people.
Vehicles swept off roads were seen stranded in the swollen river. Local TV news channels also broadcast phone calls from stranded people pleading for help.
A day after rescue operations were hampered, the weather department expects some relief on Wednesday though rain is likely throughout the day in the region.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement that at least 572 mm (22.5 inches) of rain fell in the two days before the landslide.
In a statement issued by his office, Vijayan said several areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Choorlamalla, were isolated and roads were washed away, causing extensive damage to houses.
“Efforts are underway to trace the missing people with all available resources,” the statement said. It added that over 3,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps and the government is ensuring supply of food and essential commodities there.
In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday night, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who until recently represented Wayanad in Parliament, said he was unable to visit the disaster-stricken area.
“Due to incessant rain and adverse weather conditions we have been informed by the authorities that we will not be able to land,” he said. “Our thoughts are with the people of Wayanad during this difficult time.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was saddened by the landslide and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,388) to the affected families.
Monsoon rains across South Asia from June to September bring relief from the heat and are vital for replenishing water supplies. They are vital for agriculture and therefore for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and the food security of the region’s two billion people.
But they also bring destruction in the form of landslides and floods. The number of deadly floods and landslides has increased in recent years, and experts say climate change is exacerbating the problem.
“Incidents like landslides are part of climate change-induced heavy rainfall disasters,” Kartiki Negi of Indian environmental think tank Climate Trends told news agency AFP.
“India is likely to see more of these impacts in the future,” he said.
Dam construction, deforestation and development projects in India have also increased human losses.
Intense monsoon storms lashed India this month, flooding parts of the financial capital Mumbai, while lightning killed at least 10 people in the eastern state of Bihar.
In 2018, Kerala witnessed its worst floods in nearly a century, killing nearly 500 people.
