Landslides tore through tea plantations in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Tuesday, killing at least 44 people as slopes collapsed after heavy rain, sending rivers of mud.
Television footage showed emergency personnel slicing through rocks and uprooted trees as murky water gushed through and many homes were destroyed.
State Health Minister Veena George said more than 70 people were injured and the Indian Express reported that many people were likely washed away by the Chaliyar River.
“The situation is serious. The government has forced all agencies to rescue,” state forest minister AK Saseendran told Reuters after landslides in the state’s Wayanad district. More rain was forecast throughout the day.
Local news station Asianet TV reported that up to 41 people had died after landslides wreaked havoc in the region.
Television footage showed rescue workers slicing through rocks and uprooted trees as murky water gushed through and many homes were destroyed.
Rashid Padikkalparamban, a resident involved in the relief effort, said at least three landslides occurred in the area around midnight, washing away a bridge connecting the affected area, Mundakkai estate, to Chooralmala.
Kerala is prone to heavy rains and floods, with one of the worst floods of 2018 killing nearly 400 people.
Relief efforts continued on Tuesday and two Indian Air Force helicopters were mobilized, the Kerala Chief Minister’s office said in a statement.
Rahul Gandhi, who recently won the disputed general election from Wayanad but resigned as he was also elected from his family stronghold in the north
