At least two killed in southwest Indian landslide, others missing

At least two people died and others were injured or reported missing after a landslide in the Wayanad district of India’s Kerala state, officials said on Tuesday. Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said the tragedy deeply shook the state and the government was working to ensure victims receive the best treatment. Officials also coordinated ongoing search and rescue efforts, but it remained unclear exactly how many people were missing and injured.

What caused the landslide? Satheesan cited human negligence as the cause. The state contractor was instructed to remove a collection of accumulated soil from an infrastructure project, but failed to do so, Satheesan wrote in a separate Tuesday statement. It’s believed the failure to remove the soil created a safety violation that later prompted the landslide, according to Satheesan’s statement.

In an unrelated incident on Tuesday, at least 21 people died in a landslide in northwestern China, according to a report from a state-run media group.