43 killed, hundreds feared trapped as landslide hits India’s Kerala

Landslides in India triggered by pounding monsoon rains have killed at least 43 people with hundreds more feared trapped under mud and debris, Dawn reported quoting officials concerned on Tuesday (July 30).

The southern coastal state of Kerala has been battered by torrential downpours, and the collapse of a key bridge at the disaster site in Wayanad district has hampered rescue efforts, according to local media reports.

“Fourty-three deaths have been confirmed in connection with the landslide in Wayanad,” district official D.R. Meghasree told reporters.

Homes were caked with brown sludge as the force of the landslide’s impact scattered cars, corrugated iron and other debris around the disaster site.

India’s army said it had deployed more than 200 soldiers to the area to assist state security forces and fire crews in search and rescue efforts.

“Hundreds of people are suspected to have been trapped,” it said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had assured the Kerala government of “all possible help” with the situation.

“My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured,” he said in a post on social media platform X.

His office said families of victims would be given a compensation payment of $2,400 (200,000 rupees).

More rainfall and strong winds were forecast in Kerala on Tuesday, the state’s disaster management agency said.