Heavy rainfall has triggered deadly landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala, with the toll rising.
At least 49 people have died and hundreds are believed to be buried after landslides triggered by heavy flooding in southern India. The toll continues to rise.
The affected villages are located in a hilly region of Wayanad district in Kerala state.
Rescuers are working to extract the missing from the rubble, but their efforts are hampered by blocked roads and unstable terrain.
The India Meteorological Department has put Kerala on alert following incessant rains.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the relatives of the deceased and extended his support to the injured.Shocked by the landslides in part of Wayanad. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones and my prayers with the injured.” he posted on X.
India regularly floods during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September and brings most of South Asia’s annual rainfall.
The state of Kerala had faced its worst floods in a century in 2018 following devastating rainfall.
According to scientists, the impacts of monsoons are becoming increasingly worse with climate change.
