At least 43 people have died following major landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials said Tuesday.
A massive rescue operation is underway in Kerala’s northeastern district of Wayanad, involving the national and state disaster rescue force and the Kerala fire services, PM Manoj, Press Secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister, told CNN.
At least two landslides hit Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday morning, injuring about 100 people and impacting roughly 1,000, A K Saseendran, the state’s minister for forest and wildlife, told CNN.
“We don’t know if people have been washed away in the river but we are doing our best to rescue people. We are leaving no stone unturned,” Saseendran said.
At least 250 people have been rescued so far, a local minister told Press Trust of India.
The army has also been dispatched to rescue another 250 or so people stranded in a village after a bridge collapsed, A Kowsigan, a commissioner for the state’s disaster management authority, told CNN.
“Trees and debris fallen on the road have made access difficult,” Kowsigan added.
Heavy rain has made conditions treacherous for rescuers as they try to determine the full scope of the disaster.
“Helicopters have also been brought there, but the weather is bad,” said George, the health minister. “There are many challenges there because there is no electricity.”
CNN Weather reported widespread rainfall totals of 6 inches across Kerala, with some areas seeing almost 10 inches of rain. Kerala’s summers tend to be very wet, and these rainfall totals are standard for this time of year.
Heavy flooding and mudslides have killed hundreds, displaced millions and wrecked infrastructure across South Asia in recent months. While floods are common in the region during monsoon season, scientists say the climate crisis has exacerbated extreme weather events and made them more deadly.
China has also experienced weeks of damaging rain triggering floods and landslides.
In a post to X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.”
His office announced “ex-gratia” compensation of INR 200,000 ($2,388) for the next of kin of those deceased and INR 50,000 ($597) for those injured.
