Hopes of finding more survivors wane after landslides in India kill 194

Indian army soldiers set up a prefabricated bridge for across the river rescue operations following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad district, Kerala state, India, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Associated Press Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

WAYANAD, India — Hopes of finding more than 180 missing people alive waned as rescue workers searched through mud and debris for a third day Thursday after landslides set off by torrential rains killed at least 194 people in southern India.

The rescue work was challenging in a forested, hilly area while more rain fell, said P.M Manoj, a spokesman for Kerala state’s top elected official. Nearly 40 bodies were found downstream after being swept some 30 kilometers (20 miles) down the Chaliyar River from the area in Wayanad district where the main landslides occurred. Body parts were also recovered.

Torrents of mud and water swept through tea estates and villages in hilly areas in the district early Tuesday. They flattened houses and destroyed bridges, and rescuers had to pull out people stuck under mud and debris. “This is one of the worst natural calamities Kerala state has ever witnessed,” Kerala’s top elected official, Pinarayi Vijayan, said.

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Manoj said 187 people were unaccounted for as of Thursday. In addition to the dead and missing, 186 people were injured. Local media reported most of the victims were tea estate workers.

More than 5,500 people have been rescued, Vijayan said, with some 1,100 rescue personnel, helicopters and heavy equipment involved.

Rescuers use machinery to sift through debris on their second day of mission following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad district, Kerala state, India, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Associated Press Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

The army was constructing a temporary bridge after the main bridge in one of the worst-affected areas was swept away. Images from the site show rescue workers making their way through muck and floodwaters, while a land excavator was clearing the debris.

READ: India landslide toll hits 126 as rain hampers rescue work

O.S. Jerry, a cardamom estate manager, said he regularly traveled through the district. “There was a lovely school over here,” he said, adding that many houses were now gone.

The Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas are destroyed with extreme devastation, Vijayan said.

Manoj said more than 8,300 people have been moved to 82 government-run relief camps. The government is ensuring food delivery and essential items to the relief camps.

Kerala, one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, is prone to heavy rains, flooding and landslides. The Indian Meteorological Department said Wayanad district had up to 28 centimeters (11 inches) of rain on Monday and Tuesday.