Indian authorities count over 200 dead from landslides

Search and rescue workers pulled 150 people from the mud of sweeping landslides that hit the Wayanad district in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Tuesday. Over 200 people are dead as rescue efforts continue, National Disaster Response Force Director Inspector-General Mohsen Shahedi said. Torrential rains triggered landslides that destroyed roads and demolished and damaged homes in a wide swathe of rural country. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority predicted more heavy rainfall in Wayanad over the weekend.

What have search and rescue efforts accomplished? Over 10,000 people relocated to 100 relief camps, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Thursday, according to a translated social media statement. Vijayan also met with parliamentary leaders and representatives to assess search and rescue efforts moving forward. A four-member cabinet subcommittee will oversee the continuation of rescue and rehabilitation, Vijayan said. Governmental departments will ensure displacement camps receive essential materials and food, he added.

Dig deeper: Read my report on back-to-back landslides in Ethiopia that killed over 200 people late last month.