Landslide in India kills 158 people, many missing

The death toll from a massive landslide in the southern Indian state of Kerala has now exceeded 158, with officials saying 187 people are still missing.

Rescue operations, which were halted late Tuesday night, resumed Wednesday morning.

The landslide is the state’s worst disaster since 2018, when flooding killed more than 400 people.

Flags were flown at half-mast on Indian government buildings to mark two days of official mourning.

The disaster, which occurred in Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of Wayanad district, “devastated the entire area”, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The region and its neighboring areas are on alert for heavy rain on Wednesday. Schools and colleges have been closed in 12 of the state’s 14 districts.

Joint rescue operations are being carried out by the Army, Navy, Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with the police and fire departments.

More than 3,000 people have been rescued and moved to 45 rescue camps.

Air force helicopters conducted search and rescue operations on Tuesday night to evacuate people stranded in Mundakkai, which was cut off by a river due to the disaster.

Officials said a small team of rescuers had successfully crossed the river and reached the area.

“Until 10 p.m. [16:30GMT] Last night, we rescued 70 people before we had to stop due to bad weather and rain,” NDRF Commander Akhilesh Kumar told news agency ANI.

Heavy rains in the area hampered rescue efforts.

In Choralmala, the army said it had used ropes to cross a raging river to assist and carry out rescue efforts.

Rescue teams plan to build a temporary bridge across the river to rescue those still trapped.

The landslide occurred around 02:00 Indian time on Tuesday [20:30 on Monday] Located in an area surrounded by tea and cardamom estates.

Vijayan said it was understood that landslides would not occur in the area and that the sleeping villagers were caught off guard, resulting in a large number of casualties.

Those still missing include plantation workers and migrant workers who live here.

Rescue workers said they were searching for possible survivors beneath the rubble of collapsed roofs and destroyed homes.

A local man told the Press Trust of India news agency that he saw bodies covered in mud sitting on chairs or lying on beds in a house.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in India’s parliament and a former member of the Wayanad district, said authorities warned him that “continued rains and adverse weather conditions” would cause him difficulties and that his plans to visit the affected areas had been cancelled.

His Congress party raised the catastrophe in Parliament on Tuesday.