Relentless rain and strong winds hindered rescue operations on Wednesday (31) in the aftermath of landslides that devastated Indian tea plantations, killing 122 people, most of whom were laborers and their families.
The southern coastal state of Kerala has been pounded by days of heavy monsoon rains, which have blocked roads into the disaster-stricken area in Wayanad district, complicating relief efforts.
Some who escaped the landslides were swept away by floodwaters from a nearby river. “Those who escaped were swept away along with houses, temples and schools,” volunteer rescuer Arun Dev told AFP at a hospital treating survivors.
Wayanad, known for its tea estates, relies heavily on laborers for planting and harvesting. Several plantations were hit by two consecutive landslides early Tuesday (30) morning.
Brick-walled row homes housing seasonal workers were engulfed by a powerful wall of mud while the laborers and their families slept inside. The landslide scattered cars, corrugated iron, and other debris around the disaster site, and other buildings were caked with mud.
Kerala’s revenue minister K. Rajan’s office reported that 122 bodies had been recovered as of midnight Wednesday (31). Floodwaters washed away a bridge connecting the hardest-hit villages of Chooralmala and Mundakkai, forcing rescue teams to traverse difficult terrain on foot.
More than 3,000 people were sheltering in emergency relief camps across Wayanad district, according to the state government.
Kerala’s disaster agency warned of more rain and strong winds forecasted for Thursday, with the potential for further “damage to unsafe structures” elsewhere in the state.
Monsoon rains, which last from June to September, are essential for replenishing water supplies and are vital for agriculture and the livelihoods of millions in South Asia. However, they also bring destruction in the form of landslides and floods.
Experts say climate change is worsening the frequency and intensity of these events, and human activities like damming, deforestation, and development projects have increased their toll.
This month, intense monsoon storms have flooded parts of Mumbai, while lightning in Bihar killed at least 10 people. In 2018, nearly 500 people died in Kerala during the worst flooding the state had seen in almost a century.
India’s worst landslide in recent decades occurred in 1998, when rockfalls triggered by heavy rains killed at least 220 people and buried the village of Malpa in the Himalayas.
