Rescuers search through mud and debris as deaths rise to 151 in landslides in southern India

Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of rescue workers searched through mud and debris Wednesday from multiple landslides that have killed at least 151 people in southern India, police said.

The landslides occurred after torrential rains triggered torrents of mud and water that swept through tea estates and villages.

Another 186 people were injured by the landslides that hit hilly areas in Kerala state’s Wayanad district early Tuesday, flattening houses, uprooting trees and destroying bridges, said police officer Aijaz, who uses one name.

P.M Manoj, a spokesman for the state’s top elected official, said 187 people were unaccounted for. Seventy-seven bodies have been identified so far and mostly handed to their relatives, he added.

More than 5,500 people have been rescued from landslide-hit areas, said the state’s top elected official, Pinarayi Vijayan.

More than a dozen bodies were found overnight, Aijaz said, as over 300 rescuers worked to pull out people stuck under mud and debris, but blocked roads and unstable terrain hampered their efforts.

The Indian Army was constructing a temporary bridge after the main bridge linking one of the worst-affected areas was swept away by the landslides. Images from the site also showed rescue workers making their way through muck and floodwaters, while a land excavator was clearing the debris.

O.S. Jerry, a cardamom estate manager, said he regularly traveled through the district.

“There was a lovely school over here. The school has been damaged now,” he said, adding that many houses were now gone.

Yunus, another tea estate manager, said two villages were washed away in the landslides.

“We have been able to find 200 people. Many others are missing,” said Yunus, who uses one name.

The first landslide occurred at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, followed by another two hours later. Several areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, were isolated, and roads were washed away causing immense damage to homes, said Vijayan.

“Efforts to locate missing persons continue with all available resources,” he said.

Mundakka is in an area highly prone to disasters. However, the gushing soil, gravel, and rock reached the town of Chooralmala, 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) away.

Manoj said more than 8,300 people have been moved to 82 government-run relief camps. The government is ensuring food delivery and essential items to the relief camps.

Authorities sent vehicles carrying 20,000 liters of drinking water to the disaster area. Temporary hospitals are being set up, the statement said on Tuesday night.

The Press Trust of India news agency said more than 300 houses were destroyed in Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas.

Local media reported that most of the victims were tea estate workers. Television footage showed rescue workers making their way through mud and uprooted trees to reach those who had been stranded. Vehicles swept off the roads were seen stuck in a swollen river. Local TV news channels also aired phone calls from stranded people asking for help.

Authorities mobilized helicopters to help with rescue efforts and the Indian army was roped in to build a temporary bridge.

“We are trying every way to rescue our people,” state Health Minister Veena George said.

In a post on social media platform X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad,” a hilly district which is part of the Western Ghats mountain range.

“My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured,” Modi wrote. He announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,388) to the victims’ families.

India’s weather department has put Kerala on alert as the state has been lashed by incessant rains. Downpours have disrupted life for many, and authorities closed schools in some parts Tuesday.

Kerala, one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, is prone to heavy rains, flooding and landslides. Nearly 500 people were killed in the state in 2018 in one of the worst floods.

The Indian Meteorological Department said the state has had heavy rainfall over its northern and central regions, with Wayanad district recording up to 28 centimeters (11 inches) of rain on Monday and Tuesday.

“Monsoon patterns are increasingly erratic and the quantum of rainfall that we receive in a short spell of time has increased. As a result, we see frequent instances of landslides and floods along the Western Ghats,” said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

Koll also said authorities must check on rapid construction activities happening over landslide areas.

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Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq and Video journalist Piyush Nagpal contributed from New Delhi.