Several sources said the landslides hit hilly villages in Kerala state’s Wayanad district early Tuesday, destroying numerous houses and a bridge.
Images published by the National Disaster Response Force showed rescue crews trudging through mud to search for survivors and carrying bodies out of the area on stretchers.
Homes were caked with brown sludge, and the force of the landslide’s impact scattered cars, corrugated iron, and other debris around the disaster site.
India’s army said it had deployed more than 200 soldiers to the area to assist state security forces and fire crews in search and rescue efforts.
Kerala state excise minister M.B. Rajesh said more than 250 people had been rescued so far.
COMPENSATION OFFERED
Modi’s office said the families of victims would receive a compensation payment of $2,400 (200,000 rupees).
More rainfall and strong winds were forecast in Kerala on Tuesday, the state’s disaster management agency said.
The latest tragedy highlighted concerns about India’s infrastructure. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi told lawmakers that the scope of the devastation was “heartbreaking.”
“Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in landslides in recent years,” he added. “The need of the hour is a comprehensive action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities.”
The number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years in the crowded, mainly Hindu nation of some 1.4 billion people.
Scientists fearing climate change say global warming exacerbates the problem, while other experts link the fatalities to urbanization.
Monsoon rains across the region from June to September offer respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. They are vital for agriculture, the livelihoods of millions of farmers, and food security for South Asia’s nearly two billion people.
But they also bring destruction in the form of landslides and floods
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