Thiruvananthapuram, India: At least 41 people have been killed in a landslide in the southern Indian state of Kerala and rescue operations have been hampered by the collapse of a main bridge in the region, local media reported. State Health Minister Veena George said more than 70 people were injured and the Indian Express reported that more people may have drowned in the Chaliyar river.
“The situation is serious. The government has pressed all agencies for rescue,” state forest minister AK Sasendran told Reuters after a landslide hit the state's Wayanad district. It is expected to rain more throughout the day.
The army was called in to construct a temporary bridge after a bridge in the district that connects the affected areas, mostly tea and cardamom plantations, to the nearby town of Churalmala collapsed, Sasendran added. Local news channel Asianet TV reported that 41 people died in the landslide in the area.
Television visuals showed dozens of homes destroyed as rescue workers rushed muddy water from rocks and uprooted trees.
A man trapped in chest-high mud for hours was seen struggling to free himself as rescuers failed to reach him despite repeated efforts.
Rashid Padikkalparamban, who was involved in the rescue operation, said that around midnight, about three landslides swept away the bridge connecting Churalmala from Mundakkai Estate.
“Many people working in the estate and living in makeshift tents are feared to be trapped or missing,” he said. Kerala is vulnerable to heavy rains and floods, with the worst floods in 2018 killing 400 people.
Relief efforts were continuing on Tuesday, and two Indian Air Force helicopters have been mobilized, the Kerala Chief Minister's Office said in a statement. Mohsen Shahedi, a senior officer of the National Disaster Response Force, told Reuters that the collapse of the bridge hampered rescue efforts as the area was inaccessible by road. Rahul Gandhi, who recently won the general election from Wayanad, but resigned as he was also elected from his family stronghold in the north, said he had spoken to the state chief minister to ensure coordination with all agencies.
