At least 56 people were killed after heavy rains caused several landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala, with rescue efforts underway to help those feared trapped, authorities said.
Indian army, navy and air force personnel and helicopters joined the search and rescue efforts Tuesday amid a continuous downpour that destroyed whole villages in the hilly district. The office of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the “entire government machinery” was involved in overseeing and coordinating rescue operations.
Amal Kabeer, a civil officer with the Kerala Police, said the death toll is expected to rise.
Images and videos circulating on social media showed submerged railway lines, highways blocked by boulders and mangled cars stuck in uprooted trees as mucky rainwater steadily flowed through the towns and villages of Wayanad, which is ordinarily a hub for tourism in the region.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad,” adding on X: “My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.”
The disaster — which hit a state where devastating landslides and floods in 2018 killed over 400 people and forced more than a million to evacuate — prompted warnings from opposition politicians in India about the rising risks from landslides.
“Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in landslides in recent years. The need of the hour is a comprehensive action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities in our ecologically fragile regions,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said Tuesday in Parliament.
Floods are not uncommon during Kerala’s southwest monsoon season, which typically lasts from June to September.
Tuesday’s rain washed away many bridges, cutting off smaller towns and villages from the state highway network and complicating rescue operations, local media reported. According to the Hindu newspaper, state government minister Krishnankutty Rajan said authorities were trying to airlift stranded villagers and rig up another bridge to reach the village of Mundakkai, where many were feared to be stuck.
The India Meteorological Department said rains are expected to continue Tuesday in Wayanad, as well as in three adjacent districts in Kerala.
