By Staff Reporter
New Delhi — Massive landslides sparked by torrential rains swept away homes in hilly areas of southern India’s Kerala state on Tuesday, killing at least 93 people and leaving dozens more missing, state officials said. More than 100 people were injured and admitted to regional hospitals.
The landslides struck several areas in Kerala’s Wayanad district early Tuesday morning, catching people off guard or as they slept.
Videos broadcast on Indian news networks showed houses, cars and even roads swept away by torrents of muddy flood water as rescue workers tried to bring people to safety. Hundreds of Indian army, air force and disaster response members were assisting in the rescue work, but several areas were cut off as many regional roads and a key bridge in the area were washed away by the floods.
Landslides in the hills in Wayanad
Rescuers help residents to move to safer ground after a landslide hit villages in the hills of Wayanad district, in the southern state of Kerala, India, July 30, 2024.
Stringer/REUTERS
Ongoing bad weather was also complicating the rescue efforts. India’s national weather office was predicting more rain for the rest of Tuesday.
Kerala government officials said at least 250 people had been rescued, but many more were still believed to be missing.
“We fear hundreds of people are trapped inside the villages,” resident Raghavan Arunamala told the Reuters news agency.
Rashid Padikkalparamban, another resident who was helping with relief efforts, told Reuters there were at least three landslides in the area, starting around midnight, and that a bridge connecting two neigborhoods had been completely washed away.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered the deployment of police drones and K9 units to help the search and rescue efforts.
Source: CBS News
