(CTN News) – On Tuesday, a large rescue operation was underway in the southern Indian state of Kerala following landslides that killed dozens of people in Wayanad, a hilly district.

The landslides occurred in the early hours of the morning, while residents were sleeping, as waves of muck demolished their homes.

Teams from civil defence, police, 200 army personnel, and navy rescue swimmers were rushed to the affected districts, but search operations were impeded by heavy rains.

The Kerala Revenue Ministry stated that at least 84 people had died and 116 had been injured, but the Wayanad District Disaster Response Force told Arab News that exact figures were impossible to determine because more than 120 individuals were missing, trapped under mud and rubble.

“We are concerned that the death toll may rise since many people who have gone missing may have died. “We can’t speculate right now,” the disaster response force office told Arab News. “Rescue operation is going on in full swing.”

Kerala Government Declares Mourning After Landslides

The majority of Kerala was placed on high alert by the India Meteorological Department on Tuesday morning due to heavy rains.

Jebi Mather, a member of the Indian Parliament’s upper chamber who represents Kerala, warned legislators that reports from the state indicate that entire families have disappeared under the muck.

“The devastation cannot be measured at this time…” “It’s so vast,” she said.

The steep woodland region was home to approximately 350 families, with the majority of locals working on tea and cardamom plantations.

Rahul Gandhi, the former Wayanad MP, stated in a post on X that he was “deeply anguished” by the accident.

“The devastation unfolding in Wayanad is heartbreaking,” he told me. “I have urged the Union government … to extend all possible support.”

The Kerala government proclaimed formal mourning on Tuesday and Wednesday.