The death toll in landslides that occurred overnight from Monday to Tuesday in the southern Indian state of Kerala is likely to exceed 300, The Indian Express reported on Thursday, citing estimates by regional authorities. Homes, roads and bridges have been destroyed. On Wednesday, heavy rains hit the north of the country, also causing fatalities, including in the Indian capital.
At least 277 people have been reported dead so far. “All the survivors have been found in the last few days,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters on Thursday. “It is assumed that there is no one left to save in the villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala and Attamala. (…) All that remains is to recover the bodies from the area,” he added.
The army, air force and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are among those taking part in the search operation.
More than three thousand people were evacuated and over a hundred were hospitalized.
Houses, roads and bridges razed to the ground
The tragedy occurred because of days of rainfall. In the 48 hours preceding the disaster, 572 liters of water fell per square meter in the mountainous region. Two landslides and mudslides swept away houses, uprooted trees, destroyed bridges and roads. The tragedy occurred when most residents were asleep in their homes.
Landslides have occurred in the Indian state of KeralaPAP/EPA/TP BINU
Kerala is in an area that receives annual monsoon rains, which have come unusually early this year. In addition, about half of the southern state is made up of hills with slopes of more than 20 degrees, which increases the risk of landslides. In addition, explained climatologist M. Rajeevan, many places in Kerala that were once covered with dense forests are now planted with rubber trees, which are not as effective at stabilizing the soil.
Landslides have occurred in the Indian state of KeralaPAP/EPA/TP BINU
Landslides have occurred in the Indian state of KeralaPAP/EPA/TP BINU
In Kerala, at least 25 people died in floods and landslides in 2021. In 2018, nearly 500 people lost their lives in the worst floods recorded in the state in more than a century.
Downpours and dead in the north
Downpours on Wednesday evening hit northern India. At least five people died in the Indian capital, Delhi, according to local media. Rainfall there reached 144 l/sq m.
The state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 183 l/sq m in 24 hours in the popular tourist town of Dharamshala in the western Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. Two deaths were reported in the region after a dam burst. A search for more than 50 people was underway in Simla, the state capital, on Thursday.
Local media reported that four people died in the state of Uttarakhand, which borders China and Nepal. the stormand about 200 pilgrims were stuck on the pilgrimage route, which was washed away by the rain,
Times of India, BBC, Reuters, India Today, PAP
Main image source: PAP/EPA/TP BINU