Rescuers search through mud and debris as deaths rise to 166 in landslides in southern India

A rescuer consoles a man who lost his home following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad district, Kerala state, India, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

NEW DELHI, India — More than a thousand rescue workers searched through mud and debris for a second day Wednesday after multiple landslides set off by torrential rains killed at least 166 people in southern India, police said.

Torrents of mud and water had swept through tea estates and villages and rescuers were pulling out people stuck under mud and debris as light to heavy rain hampered their efforts.

"This is one of the worst natural calamities Kerala state has ever witnessed," said the state's top elected official, Pinarayi Vijayan.

The landslides that hit hilly areas in Wayanad district early on Tuesday also injured 186 people, flattened houses, uprooted trees and destroyed bridges, said police officer Aijaz, who uses one name.

P.M Manoj, a spokesman for the state’s top elected official, said 187 people were unaccounted for. Seventy-seven bodies have been identified so far and most of them were handed over to relatives, he added.

More than 5,500 people have been rescued, said Vijayan, thanks to the efforts of some 1,167 rescue workers, including fire officers and soldiers, as well as members of the coast guard and the National Disaster Response Force.

The air force was using helicopters to evacuate people to hospitals and a device to locate human presence underground was being brought in, he said. Rescuers also tried to retrieve bodies that have floated down a river, more than 100 kilometres (65 miles) away to the nearby Malappuram district, Vijayan said.

The Indian Army was constructing a temporary bridge after the main bridge in one of the worst-affected areas was swept away. Images from the site show rescue workers making their way through muck and floodwaters, while a land excavator was clearing the debris.

O.S. Jerry, a cardamom estate manager, said he regularly travelled through the district. “There was a lovely school over here," he said, adding that many houses were now gone.

Yunus, another tea estate manager, said two villages were washed away. “We have been able to find 200 people. Many others are missing,” said Yunus, who also uses one name.

The first landslide hit at 2 a.m. Tuesday, followed by another two hours later. Several areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, were isolated, and roads were washed away, Vijayan said. “Efforts to locate missing persons continue with all available resources.”

Mundakka is highly prone to disasters. Gushing soil, gravel, and rock reached the town of Chooralmala, 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) away.

Manoj said more than 8,300 people have been moved to 82 government-run relief camps. The government is ensuring food delivery and essential items to the relief camps.

Authorities sent vehicles carrying 20,000 liters of drinking water to the disaster area. Temporary hospitals are being set up, according to a Tuesday night statement.

The Press Trust of India news agency said more than 300 houses were destroyed in Mundakkai and Chooralmala.

Local media reported that most of the victims were tea estate workers. Television footage showed rescue workers making their way through mud and uprooted trees to reach those who were stranded. Vehicles swept off the roads were seen stuck in a swollen river. Local TV news channels also aired phone calls from stranded people asking for help.

The army was building a temporary bridge.

“We are trying every way to rescue our people,” state Health Minister Veena George said.

In a post on the social media platform X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad,” a hilly district which is part of the Western Ghats mountain range.

“My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured,” Modi said. He announced compensations of 200,000 rupees ($2,388) to victims’ families.

India’s weather department has put Kerala on alert as the state has been lashed by incessant rains. Downpours have disrupted life for many, and authorities closed schools in some parts Tuesday.

Kerala, one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, is prone to heavy rains, flooding and landslides. Nearly 500 people were killed in the state in floods in 2018.

The Indian Meteorological Department said the state has had heavy rainfall over its northern and central regions, with Wayanad district recording up to 28 centimetres (11 inches) of rain on Monday and Tuesday.

“Monsoon patterns are increasingly erratic and the quantum of rainfall that we receive in a short spell of time has increased. As a result, we see frequent instances of landslides and floods 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 examine construction activities in the landslide areas.

Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq and Video journalist Piyush Nagpal contributed from New Delhi.