Landslide In Wayanad Kerala India, 41 People Died

UNSPLASH/Timo Volz ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - A landslide in Wayanad, the Indian state of Kerala, killed 41 people. Rescue operations were hampered after the main bridge in the region collapsed.

State Health Minister▁bilangna George said more than 70 people were injured. Meanwhile, the Indian Express reported that many people were most likely swept away in the Chaliyar river.

"The situation is serious. The government urges all institutions to make rescues," state Forestry Minister AK Saseendran told Reuters on Tuesday, July 30.

Currently, the army is trying to build a temporary bridge after the bridge in the district that connects the disconnected area.

Local news channel Asianet TV said 41 people died as a result of landslides.

Television footage showed aid workers walking through rocks and fallen trees when floods mixed with mud flowed rapidly, and many houses were destroyed.

A man was seen struggling to free himself after being trapped in chest-high mud for hours, as rescue workers were unable to evacuate him despite various attempts.

Rashid Sadikkalparamban, a resident involved in relief efforts, said there were three landslides in the area starting around midnight, which swept away the bridge connecting the affected areas, Mundaki plantations, to Chooralmala.

"Many people work in plantations and live in emergency tents inside are feared to be trapped or lost," he said.

Kerala is prone to heavy rains and floods, with nearly 400 people killed in one of the worst floods in 2018.

Relief efforts are underway today with two Indian Air Force helicopters deployed.

Rescue operations were hampered because the area could not be reached by road due to the collapse of the bridge, Mohsen Shahedi, a senior National Disaster Response Force officer told Reuters.