NEW DELHI – The death toll in the multiple landslides that struck India’s southern state of Kerala early on Tuesday morning rose to 39, even as more than 30 injured persons were admitted to a nearby government hospital, confirmed a local police officer to Xinhua over phone.
“Many bodies are yet to be identified,” he said, adding that many more people were still trapped under the debris, hence the death toll was feared to further rise.
A state government official involved in the rescue work said, “Rescue work is continuing, though heavy rains are causing a disruption. The local administration, police, rescue teams, doctors, medical teams, and other concerned wings of the state government have been put into service to rescue people from under the rubble and rush them to the hospital. Our priority is to save human lives.”
At least three landslides had struck the Meppadi area of Kerala’s Wayanad district at around 02:00 am local time on Tuesday, even as the people were still asleep.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and promised all possible help from the federal government.
Senior leader of the country’s main opposition party the Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi also expressed anguish at the natural tragedy, saying he hopes “those still trapped are brought to safety soon”.