Hundreds of rescuers are sifting through mud and debris from several landslides that killed at least 151 people in the southern Indian state of Kerala, police said.
Authorities said on Wednesday that nearly 1,000 people had been rescued and 187 were still missing after landslides, caused by relentless monsoon rains, hit the hills of Wayanad district on Tuesday morning.
Heavy rains in one of India’s most attractive tourist destinations collapsed hillsides, sending torrents of mud, water and rocks through tea and cardamom plantations and small settlements – the worst disaster in the state since deadly floods in 2018.
The Indian Army said it had rescued 1,000 people and started the process of building an alternative bridge after the main bridge connecting the worst-hit area of Mundakkai with the nearest town of Chooralmala was destroyed.
Mundakkai is in a highly disaster-prone area. However, soil, gravel and rock gushed all the way to the town of Chooralmala, 6 km (3.7 mi) away.
“The landslides happened at the top and then affected the areas in the lower valley where people were staying. The focus now is to search the entire climb area in search of trapped people and recover as many bodies as possible. [as possible],” state law and order officer MR Ajith Kumar told Reuters news agency.
More than a dozen bodies were found overnight, said police officer Aijaz, who goes by one name, as more than 300 rescuers worked to free people trapped in mud and rubble, but their efforts were hampered by extremely heavy rain, blocked roads and unstable terrain.
Nearly 350 of the 400 registered houses in the affected region were damaged, Kerala television channel Asianet reported, citing district officials.
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 rescuers fighting their way through mud and uprooted trees to reach those trapped.
Vehicles swept off the roads were seen stuck in a raging river. Local TV news channels also broadcast phone calls from trapped people asking for help.
After a day of hampered rescue operations, the meteorological department expects some respite on Wednesday, although the area is likely to receive rain during the day.
At least 572 mm (22.5 inches) of rain fell in the two days leading up to the landslide, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement.
Several areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, were cordoned off and roads were destroyed, causing immense damage to houses, Vijayan said in a statement released by his office.
“Efforts to locate missing people continue with all available resources,” the statement said, adding that more than 3,000 people have been transferred to relief camps and the government is ensuring the delivery of food and essential items to them.
In a post on 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 area.
“Due to incessant rains and adverse weather conditions, we have been informed by authorities that we will not be able to land,” he said. “Our thoughts are with the people of Wayanad at this difficult time.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday he was “distressed by the landslides” and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,388) to the families of the victims.
The monsoon rains in South Asia from June to September provide relief from the summer heat and are crucial 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 fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years and experts say climate change is worsening the problem.
“Events like landslides are part of these heavy rain disasters triggered by climate change,” Kartiki Negi, from the Indian environmental think tank Climate Trends, told the AFP news agency.
“India will continue to see more and more of these types of impacts in the future,” she added.
Dams, deforestation and development projects in India have also added to the human cost.
Intense monsoon storms hit India this month, flooding parts of the financial capital Mumbai, while lightning strikes in the eastern state of Bihar killed at least 10 people.
Nearly 500 people died on the outskirts of Kerala in 2018 during the worst floods to hit the state in nearly a century.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
