Kerala landslide: 43 dead at southern Indian tea plantation
Nearly two dozen people are feared trapped
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.At least 43 people have died in a landslide in the southern Indian state of Kerala, with nearly two dozen missing, a senior official has said.
The landslide struck a tea plantation in the Rajamala area, in Idduki district, early on Friday when workers were still asleep.
The disaster hit after torrential rain caused part of the Pettimudi hills to break loose, with local reports saying at least 20 houses were buried as a result.
“The rescue operation will continue until the last body is recovered,” an Idduki district official told news agency Reuters, explaining that it had been paused for the day because of the rain.
MM Mani, the state’s power minister, admitted yesterday that the chances of finding more survivors are low.
“The situation is really bleak,” Mr Mani told The Hindustan Times.
In the aftermath of the landslide, the plantation was cut off from help as a bridge and roads to Munnar, a tourist town some 15 miles (24km) away, were washed away in the floods.
The bridge has since been mended, allowing more emergency workers to join the rescue operation.
Officials are also using sniffer dogs to try to locate people buried under the debris, according to local media reports.
The Idduki district official explained that there was “some confusion” about the true number of people missing, as officials are having to depend on the plantation’s employment registry to calculate numbers.
The number of missing people is likely to increase, as many students have returned to the area in recent months because of the pandemic and are not accounted for in the registry.
The heavy rain is expected to continue in the district, with India Meteorological Department issuing a red alert for Idduki. Several other districts also have weather warnings in place.
Five more flood-related deaths have been reported in other parts of Kerala state.
In 2018, Kerala suffered the worst flooding in a century, with more than 400 killed and thousands of homes swept away. Many were in Idukki district.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments