Rescue teams in the southern Indian state of Kerala are searching for five people still missing a day after a deadly landslide, officials reported. The incident occurred in the Wayanad district, a hilly region, where at least three workers were killed near a tunnel construction site.
Seven other workers sustained injuries and are receiving hospital treatment. Rescue efforts are ongoing, with disaster response teams and sniffer dogs deployed to the affected area. However, heavy rainfall is hampering operations, according to Devamanohar, a local police official.
A video of the incident showed a large amount of mud dislodging during heavy rain, uprooting trees and sweeping away barricades at the tunnel construction site.
Kerala's agriculture minister, T. Siddique, suggested the landslide was man-made, caused by unscientific dumping of earth, and that construction debris had not been cleared despite warnings. The construction company has denied responsibility, stating the landslide originated above the work site. An investigation into the incident has been launched.
This event comes amid widespread heavy monsoon rains across western and northern India, which have caused floods and landslides. These rains have also brought some relief from heat in New Delhi and other northern states, though several areas have experienced waterlogging.
The India Meteorological Department has issued warnings for heavier rainfall across northern India in the coming three days. Experts note that human-caused climate change is intensifying South Asia’s monsoons, leading to more erratic and extreme rainfall patterns.