Wayanad: 93 people were killed in a landslide in Kerala

At least 93 people have been killed and dozens more are feared trapped after heavy rains triggered massive landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

A landslide occurred in the hilly areas of Wayanad district on Tuesday morning.

Rescue operations are underway but have been hampered by heavy rains and the collapse of an important bridge.

“The situation continues to be dire. The casualties may increase,” V Venu, a top civil servant in the state, told the media.

The landslides are the worst disaster since the 2018 floods in Kerala that killed more than 400 people.

More than 200 soldiers have been deployed to assist the security forces in search and rescue operations, officials said.

Local hospitals are treating at least 129 injured and around 250 people have so far been rescued and shifted to rescue camps.

Apart from the 65 confirmed deaths in Wayanad, 16 bodies have been found in the flowing Saliya river in Malappuram district. Some body parts were also found.

Wayanad, a hilly district that is part of the Western Ghats range, is prone to landslides during monsoons.

Landslides have occurred in many areas of the district including Mundakai, Attamalai, Suralmalai, Kunhom.

Videos on social media showed muddy water rushing through unpaved streets and forested areas, washing away homes and stranding people and vehicles.

The collapse of the bridge connecting Suralmalai to Mundakkai and Attamalai has isolated the two places and made it difficult for the trapped families to reach rescue workers.

A resident, Rashid Badalparamban, told Reuters news agency that at least three landslides hit the area in the middle of the night, sweeping away the bridge.

State and National Disaster Response Teams are carrying out rescue operations. Many local people are also helping out.

A small group managed to cross the river to reach the cut-off areas, Mr Venu said. He said more resources were needed, but strong river currents were making it difficult for rescue workers to cross the river.

Aerial relief operations also had to be postponed due to heavy rain, he said.

Raghavan C Arunamala, a local resident, described the terrifying scenes.

“I saw someone trapped in the rubble screaming for help. Firefighters and rescue workers have been trying to reach him for the past few hours,” he said.

Local media reported that people were flocking to hospitals to search for their loved ones.

Around 350 families are believed to have lived in the affected areas where tea and cardamom plantations were located.

Most of the victims worked in plantations and were probably sleeping in their makeshift tents when the landslide occurred.

Wayanad district and its surrounding areas are on high alert as heavy rain is forecast.

Schools and colleges were closed in 10 out of 14 districts.

In 2019, 17 people died in a landslide at Pudumalai in Wayanad, 10 km from the current affected areas.

Tuesday’s tragedy also echoed in India’s parliament, where Deputy Speaker Jagdeep Singh Dhankar – along with the speaker of the upper house – said it was a “very painful situation”.

Former Wayanad MP Congress President Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit the district on Wednesday.

X (formerly Twitter) posted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured the central government’s help in relief efforts.

Mr Modi also announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,388; £1,857) to the families of the victims and 50,000 rupees to the injured.