Scores missing as India landslides kill 158

The death toll from the massive landslides that have hit the southern Indian state of Kerala has now crossed 158, with officials saying more than 220 people are still missing.

Rescue workers say they are searching under collapsed roofs and debris of destroyed houses for possible survivors.

Thick torrents of mud and water swept through the region early Tuesday morning, flattening homes and uprooting trees.

Heavy rains continue in the area, hampering rescue operations.

The landslides are the worst disaster to hit the state since 2018, when floods killed more than 400 people.

The disaster took place in Wayanad district’s Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas, which are surrounded by tea and cardamom estates.

Rescue operations, that had halted late Tuesday night, resumed on Wednesday morning.

Visuals from the site reveal the scale of devastation, with uprooted trees lying on submerged roads and destroyed homes.

A local man told news agency PTI that he saw mud-covered bodies seated on chairs and lying on beds in one of the houses.

More than 3,000 people have been rescued and moved to 45 relief camps so far. Among those still missing are plantation workers and migrant labourers who lived here.

The rescue operations are being carried out by the army, navy and air force along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and teams of police and fire department.

Photos show rescuers pulling out survivors from under the boulders and moving them to safety. In some places, rescue teams are trying to construct a temporary bridge to reach those who are stranded across the swollen river.

But the efforts are being complicated by heavy rains and the rugged terrain, which has made it hard to reach the victims. The landslides have also destroyed key bridges connecting remote areas.

On Tuesday evening, air force helicopters were called in to evacuate people stranded in Mundakkai, which was cut off by the river.

In Chooralmala, the army said it had used ropes to rappel across the river, which is in spate, to reach stranded people.

Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the region was not known to be prone to landslides and sleeping villagers were caught off-guard, resulting in a high numbers of casualties.

On Wednesday, several opposition MPs raised the issue in parliament and demanded that the landslides be declared a national disaster.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s opposition in the parliament and a former MP from Wayanad district, said his plans to visit the disaster-hit region had been cancelled after authorities warned him that “incessant rains and adverse weather conditions” would make it difficult for him to travel.