Dozens have died and hundreds more are feared trapped after heavy rainfall led to major landslides in the hills of India’s southern Kerala state.
So far the death toll stands at 93, according to officials. Another 116 people have been rescued with injuries. Many people are likely to have been washed away in the Chaliyar river, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
The landslides tore through hillside villages in the picturesque Wayanad region.
Rescue operations have been hampered by the fact that the landslides have destroyed the main bridge in the region. The army has been called in to build a temporary bridge connecting the disaster site to the nearest town of Chooralmala.
“The situation is serious. The government has pressed all agencies into [the] rescue [effort],” state forest minister A K Saseendran told Reuters.
Videos showed relief personnel making their way through rocks and uprooted trees as muddy water gushed through, with many houses destroyed.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast extremely heavy rain to continue in the state through the day.
Key Points
- Death toll from landslides in Wayanad, Kerala climbs to 41
- Watch: Rescue operation underway amid heavy rains in southern India
- Rescue efforts hampered after bridge collapse
06:18
Stuti Mishra
Welcome to The Independent’s live blog! Stay tuned for the latest updates from Kerala where hundreds are feared trapped after landslides.
At least 23 confirmed dead and hundreds trapped in Kerala after landslides
06:34
Stuti Mishra
At least 23 people were killed and scores injured after landslides in the hills of India’s southern Kerala state, authorities said.
“The situation is serious. The government has pressed all agencies into rescue,” state forest minister A K Saseendran told Reuters after the landslides in the Wayanad district of the state.
Over 70 people had sustained injuries, officials said with many workers from the tea estates feared trapped.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast extremely heavy rain in the state through the day.
Mehraj D Lone has more details:
Rescue efforts hampered after bridge collapse
06:42
Stuti Mishra
Rescue operations in Kerala are facing significant challenges after a major bridge collapsed due to landslides and heavy rainfall.
The bridge, which connected the affected area – primarily tea and cardamom estates – to the nearest town of Chooralmala, was destroyed, impacting the access.
The army was called in to construct a temporary bridge to restore the link and aid in the ongoing rescue efforts.
Watch: Rescue operation underway amid heavy rains in southern India
07:01
Stuti Mishra
Death toll from landslides in Wayanad, Kerala climbs to 41
07:29
Stuti Mishra
The death toll has climbed to 41 in Wayanad as rescuers continue to find people buried inside the rubble after landslides in the hills of India's southern Kerala state.
Hundreds are still feared trapped while over 70 people were injured, according to officials.
The Indian Express reported that many people are likely to have been washed away in the Chaliyar river.
Kerala landslides mapped: Location of disaster zone in southern India
07:57
Stuti Mishra
'Distressed by the landslides,' says Modi, announcing compensation for victims
08:45
Stuti Mishra
Prime minister Narendra Modi said he has spoken to Kerala's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all help to the state government.
He has also asked BJP chief JP Nadda to ensure that party workers assist in rescue work.
Mr Modi announced compensation of 200,000 rupees (£1,900) for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides while injured would be given 50,000 rupees (£475).
The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides in parts of Wayanad. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000. https://t.co/1RSsknTtvo
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 30, 2024
'We will not leave any stone unturned in rescue efforts'
09:00
Stuti Mishra
The entire country is "devastated" by the loss of lives in Kerala, a senior MP from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), JP Nadda, said in the upper house of parliament today.
"We will not leave any stone unturned in rescue efforts," the union minister told the Rajya Sabha.
The opposition Congress party had initiated an adjournment motion over the landslides in the lower house of the parliament, urging immediate search and rescue measures.
Video: 'More than 70 have been killed'
09:35
Stuti Mishra
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of opposition and former MP from Wayanad, urged the Modi government in parliament to increase compensation for the victims and spoke about "an alarming rise in landslides".
Mr Gandhi said over 70 people have been killed in Wayanad.
"I request the union government to extend all possible support for rescue and medical care, immediate release of the compensation to deceased people, if that compensation can be increased as well, restore vital transport and communication lines, set up relief at the earliest and prepare a road map for the rehabilitation of the affected families."
Earlier Mr Modi announced £1,900 for the families of dead and £475 for the injured.
"Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in the landslides in the last few years," Mr Gandhi told the parliament.
"There is an urgent need for mapping of landslide-prone areas and to take up mitigation measures and an action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities in the ecologically fragile region."
The devastation unfolding in Wayanad is heartbreaking. I have urged the Union government in Parliament to extend all possible support, including increased compensation and its immediate release to the bereaved families.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 30, 2024
Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in landslides in… pic.twitter.com/y4UzdfRAUe
In pictures: India's disaster response force at work in Wayanad
10:00
Stuti Mishra
Wayanad received 11 inches of rain in 24 hours with downpour expected to continue
10:17
Stuti Mishra
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. More rains are predicted through the day.
Kerala 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 (IMD) said the state has had heavy rainfall over its northern and central regions, with Wayanad district recording up to 28 centimetres (11 inches) of rain in the last 24 hours.
Climate change and human intervention making landslides more frequent, scientist says
10:30
Stuti Mishra
Scientists say monsoons are becoming more erratic in South Asia because of the climate crisis and global warming with human activities making hilly regions more prone to landslides.
"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.
Mr Koll also said authorities must check on rapid construction activities happening over landslide areas.
"Often landslides and flash floods occur over regions where the impact of both climate change and direct human intervention in terms of land use changes are evident," he said.