India landslides: At least 160 dead as rescuers search through mud and debris
Hundreds of rescuers are searching through mud and debris after multiple landslides have killed over 160 people in southern India.
Torrential rains caused a number of landslides of mud and water that crashed through villages, flattening homes, uprooting trees and destroying bridges.
Another 186 people were injured by the landslides that hit the hilly areas in Kerala state's Wayanad district, police said.
The state's top official, Pinarayi Vijayan, said: "This is one of the worst natural calamities Kerala state has ever witnessed."
Blocked roads and unstable terrain have hampered the efforts of the hundreds of rescuers.
Rescuers retrieved more than a dozen bodies that floated down a river.
The first of the landslides occurred at 2am local time on Tuesday, followed by another two hours later - both of which washed away roads and destroyed infrastructure.
Over 5,000 people were rescued from the landslide-hit area.
More than 8,300 people have been moved to government-run relief camps, according to the state's top official.
Local media reported that most of the victims were tea estate workers.
In a post on social media platform X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad,” a hilly district which is part of the Western Ghats mountain range.
“My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured,” Modi wrote. He announced compensation of 200,000 rupees (£1,857) to the victims’ families.
India’s weather department has put Kerala on alert as the state has been lashed by rain.
The city, one of India's most popular tourist destinations, is prone to heavy rain, flooding and landslides - nearly 500 people by floods in 2018.
Downpours have disrupted life for many, and authorities closed schools in some parts on Tuesday.
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