The landslides have isolated at least four villages in the district, with rescue operations hindered by ongoing rains and blocked roads. Most of the casualties were tea estate workers and their families who were asleep in temporary shelters.

Television footage depicted rescue teams navigating through uprooted trees and collapsed tin structures, with boulders scattered across the hills and muddy water rushing through. Rescuers were transported across a stream, carrying stretchers and equipment to assist those affected.

One man was trapped in chest-deep mud for hours before being rescued by emergency workers. Around 100 families were reported stranded after the landslides, according to local Asianet TV.

Kerala Chief Secretary V Venu stated, “A small team has managed to cross the river and reach the site, but we need to deploy more personnel to assist and begin rescue operations.” He added that many individuals remain missing.

The weather office reported extremely heavy rainfall in northern and central Kerala on Tuesday, with more rain expected throughout the day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media platform X, offering a compensation of $2,400 (200,000 rupees) to the families of the victims.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently represented Wayanad in parliament, described the scale of the disaster as “heartbreaking,” emphasizing the need for a comprehensive action plan to tackle the increasing frequency of natural disasters.

The monsoon rains from June to September are crucial for cooling the summer heat and replenishing water supplies, essential for agriculture and the livelihoods of millions in South Asia. However, they also bring risks such as landslides and floods. Recent years have seen a rise in fatal floods and landslides, with experts attributing the increase to climate change.

Earlier this month, intense monsoon storms caused flooding in Mumbai and lightning strikes in Bihar resulted in at least 10 deaths.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from [National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)/via AP]