At least 29 bodies have been recovered after a massive landslide triggered by monsoon rains swept away dozens of tea estate workers in southwestern India, police said Sunday.
The landslide in Idukki district, around 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Kerala state’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, occurred Friday but the ongoing search and rescue efforts have been hampered by torrential downpours.
“By yesterday evening, we had taken out 26 dead bodies. We have taken out three more today,” a district police official told AFP.
Local media reported that some 78 people were believed to live in the area, with many still missing.
Kerala has been hit by deadly floods during the annual monsoon.
At least 18 people died in a passenger jet crash in Kerala on Friday when an Air India Express jet overshot the runway while trying to land in a storm and plunged down a bank.
The monsoon across South Asia is critical to replenishing rivers and groundwater, but also causes widespread death and destruction.
More than 300 people have died in floods and landslides in eastern and northeastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal in recent weeks.
Also Read
-
Coronavirus: India’s health workers call for better protection after 196 doctors die
-
Indian women on coronavirus pandemic frontline strike for pay and protection
-
Black box, cockpit voice recorder recovered from Air India Express plane crash site
-
Death toll from India plane crash rises to 18, includes pilot and co-pilot