Landslides in India triggered by relentless monsoon rains have resulted in the death of at least 36 people, with several hundred more feared to be trapped under mud and debris, as per officials on Tuesday.
The southern coastal state of Kerala has been severely affected by heavy downpours, and the collapse of a crucial bridge at the disaster site in Wayanad district has hindered rescue operations, as reported by local media.
“Thirty-six fatalities have been confirmed in connection with the landslide in Wayanad,” said district official D.R. Meghasree to the press.
The state’s health minister, Veena George, mentioned that “many” others were injured and receiving treatment in hospitals, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
Residences were coated with mud, and the force of the landslide scattered vehicles, metal sheets, and other debris across the site of the disaster.
The Indian army has dispatched over 200 soldiers to aid state security personnel and firefighters in the search and rescue mission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the Kerala government of providing “all possible assistance” in addressing the situation.
“My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones, and my prayers for the injured,” he stated on social media platform X.
Compensation of $2,400 (200,000 rupees) will be provided to the families of the victims, as announced by his office.
The state’s disaster management agency forecasted additional rainfall and strong winds in Kerala on Tuesday.
– ‘Deeply anguished’ –
Rahul Gandhi, an Indian opposition leader who previously represented Wayanad in parliament, expressed being “deeply anguished” by the calamity.
“I hope those who are still trapped are rescued soon,” he added.
Several injured individuals from the landslides were taken to a district hospital for medical treatment.
The monsoon rains spanning from June to September provide relief from summer heat and are essential for refilling water reservoirs.
These rains are crucial for agriculture and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, as well as food security for nearly two billion people in South Asia.
However, they also bring devastation in the form of landslides and floods.
The incidence of fatal floods and landslides has grown in recent years, with experts attributing the issue to climate change.
Dams, deforestation, and development projects in India have further exacerbated the toll on human lives.
Earlier this month, intense monsoon storms caused flooding in parts of Mumbai, while lightning strikes in Bihar led to the deaths of at least 10 individuals.
Nearly 500 people lost their lives in Kerala in 2018 during the most severe flooding the region had experienced in nearly a century.
The worst landslide in India in recent decades occurred in 1998, claiming the lives of at least 220 individuals when rockfall triggered by heavy monsoon rains buried the small village of Malpa in the Himalayas.
ash/gle/mtp
