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New Delhi – Indian authorities raised the death toll from heavy rains and floods in the southern state of Kerala on Tuesday to 24, with the region placed on red alert due to fresh rains and rescue efforts continuing.
“We have received 24 bodies so far in various hospitals and many injured are being treated,” Kerala Health Minister Veena George said in a statement to the Press Trust of India.
The incident took place in the hilly district of Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday morning when a series of “massive avalanches” triggered by heavy rains buried many houses and destroyed a bridge.
“The rescue operation is underway and we are exploring all possibilities to rescue our people,” George added.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday declared a red alert for rainfall in Wayanad district and other neighbouring districts including Kozhikode, warning of up to 204 mm rainfall in just 24 hours.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on social media
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X that he pledged “all possible help” from the central government in a telephone conversation with Vijayan. The president also announced an aid of 200,000 rupees (about 2,206 euros) for the relatives of the deceased.
“I am deeply shocked by the huge landslide near Meppadi in Wayanad. My deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those who are still trapped get to safety soon,” said opposition politician Rahul Gandhi, who won a seat in the district’s parliament in the general election that ended in June last year.
The heavy rainfall, caused by the monsoon that India and other South Asian countries experience between May and September, caused severe human and material losses.
More than 50 people have died in rain-related disasters in the northeastern state of Assam since late May. JS
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