At least 70 people have been killed in multiple landslides triggered by torrential rains in southern India, with many more feared trapped under the rubble, officials said Tuesday, as rescue efforts have been hampered by bad weather.
The landslides struck hilly villages in Kerala state’s Wayanad district early Tuesday morning, destroying many homes and a bridge, but authorities have yet to determine the full extent of the disaster. Rescue workers were trying to free people trapped under mud and debris, but their efforts were hampered by blocked roads and unstable terrain.
PM Manoj, press secretary to the Kerala chief minister, said the landslides had so far claimed at least 70 lives. Local media reported that most of the victims were tea plantation workers.
Television footage showed rescuers fighting through mud and uprooted trees to reach stranded people, while vehicles washed off the road were pinned in a swollen river.
Authorities mobilised helicopters to assist in the rescue efforts and the Indian army was deployed to build a temporary bridge after landslides destroyed a key bridge connecting the affected area.
“We are doing everything we can to save our people,” said State Health Minister Veena George.
Prime Minister of India expresses condolences
In a post on social media platform X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “saddened by the landslides in parts of Wayanad,” a hilly district that is part of the Western Ghats range.
“My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones and my prayers are with the injured,” Modi wrote, announcing compensation for the families of the victims.
The Indian weather department has put Kerala on high alert as the state continues to grapple with persistent rains. Downpours have disrupted life for many and authorities have closed schools in some parts on Tuesday. More showers are forecast 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 one of the worst floods in 2018.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the northern and central regions of the state are experiencing heavy rainfall, with Wayanad district receiving as much as 28 centimetres of rain in the last 24 hours.
“Monsoon patterns are becoming increasingly erratic and the amount of rain we receive in a short period has increased. As a result, we are seeing frequent incidents of landslides and flooding along the Western Ghats,” said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
Koll also said authorities should monitor rapid construction activities in areas where landslides may occur.
“Landslides and floods are common in areas where the impacts of both climate change and direct human intervention in terms of land-use changes are clearly visible,” he said.
A 2013 report by a federal government-appointed committee said that 37 percent of the total area of the Western Ghats Mountains should be declared an eco-sensitive area and suggested restrictions on any construction. The report’s recommendations have not been implemented so far due to opposition from state governments and residents.
India regularly experiences severe flooding during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September and brings most of South Asia’s annual rainfall. The rains are crucial for rain-fed crops planted during the season, but often cause extensive damage. Scientists say monsoons are becoming more erratic due to climate change and global warming.
11 from same family murdered in Pakistan
Heavy monsoon rains in northwestern Pakistan have caused flash floods, killing at least 14 people, 11 of them from the same family, local authorities said Tuesday.
Rains in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province flooded the basement of a house where the family was sleeping, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the emergency services, adding that they had recovered the bodies of a man, three women, six children and an 11-month-old girl. He said three others died in Hangu and Bajur districts in the same province.
Pakistan has been hit by heavy rains since early July, killing more than 60 people and damaging over 250 homes, mainly in eastern Punjab and the southwestern Baluchistan province. Authorities have warned that the rains are likely to trigger flash floods in several parts of the country next week.