In Kerala, India, landslides claim 93 lives, with hundreds more reported missing

At least 93 people were killed in landslides that rushed across tea estates and villages in Kerala, southern India, on Tuesday, according to local media. The slides were caused by torrential rain, which toppled slopes and sent stones, mud, and water cascading down them in torrents.

In Kerala’s Wayanad district, one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, the hillsides collapsed after midnight on Monday due to heavy rains. Tea plantation workers and their families, who were sleeping in temporary shelters, made up the majority of the victims.

Television footage showed rocks strewn across the hillsides, filthy water gushing through, and rescue personnel scuttling amid uprooted trees and collapsed tin shelters. Troops with stretchers and other rescue gear were being hauled across a stream to save lives.

TV images showed a man who had been trapped in chest-high mud for hours, unable to extract himself until rescue personnel eventually arrived.

According to local Asianet TV, the landslides claimed the lives of at least 93 individuals and left 100 families stuck.

The impacted region was home to some 350 households, the majority of whom worked on tea and cardamom fields. According to state officials, 250 people have been evacuated thus far.

According to a statement from the chief minister’s office, army engineers were sent to assist in the construction of a new bridge after the one that connected the impacted area to the closest town of Chooralmala was demolished.

Kerala Chief Secretary V. Venu told reporters, “A small team has managed to cross the bridge across the river and reach (the site), but we will need to send many more to provide help and to start rescue operations,” noting that a large number of individuals were still unaccounted for.

According to the weather office, there was very heavy rainfall on Tuesday over the north and central regions of Kerala, and additional rain is expected throughout the day.

Even though the area is a popular tourist destination, the rain has prevented all tourist trips since Monday, which has had the greatest impact on the local population.

The state’s worst calamity since 2018—when severe flooding claimed over 400 lives—is Tuesday’s landslides.

“We worry that this tragedy’s severity is considerably greater. The state cabinet minister, M. B. Rajesh, told news agency ANI that rescue efforts are being conducted by different authorities on a war footing.

The bridge that connected the Mundakkai estates to Chooralmala washed away by at least three landslides that began in the area at midnight, according to local Rashid Padikkalparamban, who was participating in the relief efforts.

“Many people who were working in the estates and staying in makeshift tents inside are feared trapped or missing,” he stated.

Padikkalparamban moved to the adjacent resort of Tree Valley with around a hundred other people from his neighborhood. According to Asianet TV, a call was made by someone in the resort who rescue officials were still unable to get in contact with.

In order to guarantee coordination with all agencies, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who was elected from his family stronghold in the north and secured a seat in Wayanad during the most recent general election, announced his resignation.

In a comment on X, he stated, “The devastation unfolding in Wayanad is heartbreaking.” “I have urged the union government to extend all possible support.”