Fifty-five bodies were, on Thursday, recovered by rescuers in Southern India’s Kerala state as efforts continued to find 15 people, who were unaccounted for after last week’s landslide, a local official said.
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Heavy monsoon rains in the Pettamudi hills in Kerala’s Idukki region triggered a massive landslide, on Friday, burying a settlement of tea plantation workers in mud and debris.
According to a senior administrative official in Idukki district, Antony Scaria, around 82 people were living in the quarters.
Twelve people have been rescued and 55 bodies found.
Meanwhile, search operations led by the National Disaster Response Force were ongoing to trace the 15 people still missing.
However, intermittent heavy rains made search operations difficult.
Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan and Gov. Arif Khan, promised to visit the area on Thursday.
Landslides and floods are common during India’s monsoon season.
The rains are vital for agriculture, but often cause immense destruction of property and crops, and lead to loss of lives.
According to the Home Ministry, across the country, at least 884 people died in incidents related to monsoons between the end of May and up until Wednesday.
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