The death toll from landslides in southern India this morning has risen to 93, with 128 victims hospitalized, according to local authorities, who fear hundreds more may be buried.
So far, 93 bodies have been recovered," said Kerala state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
"One hundred and twenty-eight people are being treated in hospitals. (...) This is one of the worst natural disasters our state has ever seen," he said.
Torrential rains caused torrents of mud and water to sweep through tea estates and villages in the hilly areas of Wayanad district in Kerala state in the early hours of Tuesday, destroying houses, uprooting trees and destroying bridges.
Rescuers were working to pull people trapped under the mud and debris today, but their efforts were hampered by blocked roads and unstable terrain. Officials have yet to determine the full extent of the disaster.
According to the official, more than 3,000 people have been shifted to relief camps.
Vijayan did not specify how many people were missing or trapped under the rubble.
Kerala state excise minister M.B. Rajesh said more than 250 people had been rescued so far, according to The Hindu.
“Hundreds of people are potentially trapped,” the army said in a statement, adding that about 225 soldiers had been sent to the disaster site to help search for possible survivors.
Local media reported that most of the victims were tea estate workers.
TV footage showed rescue teams fighting their way through mud and uprooted trees to reach the stranded people.
Authorities scrambled helicopters to help with the rescue efforts, and the Indian army was called in to build a temporary bridge.
“We are trying our best to save our people,” Health Minister Veena George said.
In a post on the social media platform X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad,” a hilly district that is part of the Western Ghats mountain range.
"My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones and my prayers are with the injured," Modi wrote, announcing a compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,210) for the families of the victims.
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who represented Wayanad district in the Indian Parliament in the previous term, described the scale of the devastation as "heartbreaking".
"Our country has seen an alarming increase in landslides in the last few years" and "there is an urgent need for a comprehensive action plan to deal with the increasing frequency of natural disasters", he added.
The Indian meteorological department has put Kerala on alert and the state has been lashed by incessant rains, which are expected to continue throughout the day.
Kerala, one of India's most popular tourist destinations, is prone to heavy rains, floods and landslides. Nearly 500 people were killed in the state in 2018 in one of the worst floods.
India regularly experiences severe flooding during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September and produces most of South Asia’s annual rainfall. The rains are crucial for rainfed crops grown during the season, but they often cause significant damage.
Scientists say the monsoons are becoming more irregular due to climate change and global warming.
