Relentless downpours and howling winds have severely hampered rescue operations following devastating landslides in the Indian state of Kerala.
The landslides have claimed 151 lives, primarily laborers and their families working on tea plantations in the Wayanad district. Days of torrential monsoon rains have battered the region, blocking roads and complicating relief efforts.
Volunteer rescuer Arun Dev reported that several survivors who managed to escape the initial landslides were later swept away by raging floodwaters. “Those who escaped were swept away along with houses, temples, and schools,” Dev told AFP at a hospital treating survivors. The disaster has left homes inundated and scattered debris across the area, complicating search and rescue efforts.
The tea estates of Wayanad, known for their hilly terrain, rely heavily on a large pool of laborers for planting and harvest.
Unfortunately, several plantations were hit by two successive landslides early Tuesday morning, catching many laborers and their families off guard.
Brick-walled row homes built for seasonal workers were overwhelmed by a powerful wall of mud while families were asleep inside. As of Wednesday midnight, 122 bodies had been recovered, according to Kerala’s revenue minister K. Rajan’s office.
Floodwaters washed away a bridge connecting the worst-hit villages of Chooralmala and Mundakkai, forcing rescue teams to trudge through difficult terrain on foot. More than 3,000 people are now sheltering in emergency relief camps around Wayanad district, according to state government reports.
Kerala’s disaster agency has forecasted more rain and strong winds for Thursday, raising concerns about further damage to unsafe structures in the state. Monsoon rains, which are vital for agriculture and water supplies in the region, also bring significant destruction through landslides and floods.
The increasing frequency of fatal floods and landslides in recent years is attributed to climate change and exacerbated by damming, deforestation, and development projects in India.