Landslides, heavy rains kill at least 99 in south India’s Kerala state

Army officials, emergency teams and civilians help rescue people at the disaster site where a landslide occured and destroyed hundreds of houses, resulting in mass fatalities in Wayanad region of Kerala district of India. Indian Army's two relief columns with a strength of approximately 200 individuals are underway to Wayanad. Photo / Getty Images

Heavy rains caused several landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala, killing at least 99 people, and rescue efforts were underway to help those feared trapped, authorities said.

At least 148 people were also injured in the floods, which hit the Wayanad district of Kerala at the height of monsoon season, according to the office of the local District Magistrate.

Indian army, navy and air force personnel and helicopters joined the search-and-rescue efforts amid a continuous downpour that destroyed whole villages in the hilly district. The office of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the “entire government machinery” was involved in overseeing and coordinating rescue operations.

Amal Kabeer, a civil officer with the Kerala police, said the death toll is expected to rise. Dozens of people are missing, local disaster officials said.

Images and videos circulating on social media showed submerged railway lines, highways blocked by boulders and mangled cars stuck in uprooted trees as muddy rainwater steadily flowed through the towns and villages of Wayanad, which is ordinarily a hub for tourism in the region.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X he was “distressed” by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. He added: “My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.”

Latheef, 36, a teacher in Wayanad who is volunteering with the search-and-rescue operation, said finding people was difficult because bodies were carried up to 10 miles away by floodwater. He lives near the flood site and said his home is also underwater.

“Since morning we are trying to rescue people and help retrieve bodies. But it is not easy,” he said.

Latheef said that more than 200 houses were washed away in the landslides and that there was no way to know how many people are missing. The area around Wayanad is known for its tea plantations, with many workers living in small settlements constructed on the tea-producing hills. “Most of these workers couldn’t get out to save themselves as it happened suddenly. Their houses are gone,” Latheef said.

“If we are not able to locate people by evening, the death toll will rise significantly,” he added.

The disaster – which hit a state where devastating landslides and floods in 2018 killed over 400 people and forced more than a million to evacuate – prompted warnings from opposition politicians in India about the rising risks from landslides.

“Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in landslides in recent years. The need of the hour is a comprehensive action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities in our ecologically fragile regions,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said in Parliament.

Gandhi also demanded that the compensation announced by the Indian government – US$2400 ($4000) each for the families of the victims and US$600 ($1000) for those injured in the floods and landslides – be increased and expedited.

Floods are not uncommon during Kerala’s southwest monsoon season, which typically lasts from June to September.

The recent rain washed away many bridges, cutting off smaller towns and villages from the state highway network and complicating rescue operations, local media reported. According to the Hindu newspaper, state government minister Krishnankutty Rajan said authorities were trying to airlift stranded villagers and rig another bridge to reach the village of Mundakkai, where many were feared to be stuck.

The India Meteorological Department said rains are expected to continue in Wayanad, as well as in three adjacent districts in Kerala.