Bangalore, India. More than 100 people have died in landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in southern India, local authorities said on Tuesday.
Emergency crews were able to rescue 250 people trapped under the mud, although their efforts were hampered by persistent rainfall that rendered many roads unusable in Wayanad, the worst-affected district.
“The catastrophe has claimed the lives of 108 people,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement. The previous death toll was 93.
“128 people are being treated in hospitals… It is one of the worst natural disasters our state has ever known,” he stressed.
“My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones, prayers for the injured,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X.
Images released by the National Disaster Response Force show rescuers searching for survivors in the mud and carrying bodies on stretchers out of the landslide-ravaged area.
The landslide left houses completely covered in mud and swept away cars, metal sheets and other debris in its wake.
The Indian Army announced the deployment of more than 200 soldiers to the area to assist security forces and regional rescue teams in relief efforts.
More than 250 people have been rescued from the mud by rescuers, a regional minister told local newspaper The Hindu.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced compensation of 200 thousand rupees (about 2,400 dollars) for the families of the victims.
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– 2024-07-31 09:51:50
