Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the disaster as “one of the worst” the southern Indian state has ever seen.
Hopes of finding more than 180 people missing in the Indian state of Kerala faded as rescuers continued to search through mud and debris after landslides triggered by torrential rains killed at least 194 people, officials said.
The disaster was the worst in the southern state since deadly floods in 2018. More than 5,500 people have been rescued from mountainside villages, according to a government spokesman.
“This is one of the worst natural calamities that the state of Kerala has ever witnessed,” said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the state's top elected official.
Rescue efforts remain difficult as rains continue to fall in the disaster zone, Vijayan's spokesman PM Manoj said, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Nearly 40 bodies were found downstream after the Chaliyar river swept them about 30 km from the area in Wayanad district where the major landslides occurred. Body parts were also recovered.
Manoj said 187 people were missing and 186 injured as of Thursday. Local media reported that most of the victims were tea plantation workers.
The operation involved around 1,100 rescue personnel, helicopters and heavy machinery. Images from the scene showed rescue teams wading through mud and flood waters, while an excavator removed debris.
As of Thursday, The Indian Express and The Times of India newspapers reported that up to 276 people had died as a result of the heavy rains and flooding that followed.
Torrents of mud and water swept through tea plantations and villages in mountainous areas of the district on Tuesday morning, sweeping away houses and destroying a major bridge.
Soldiers were rushing on Thursday to complete construction of a 58-meter (190-foot) metal bridge to connect the worst-affected area of Mundakkai to transport heavy equipment from the nearby town of Chooralmala.
More than 8,300 people have been shifted to 82 government-run relief camps, according to Manoj. The government is ensuring delivery of food and essential items to the relief camps.
Kerala, one of India's most popular tourist destinations, is prone to heavy rains, floods and landslides.
The landslide-hit region was forecast to receive 204 mm (8 inches) of rain but ended up inundated by 572 mm (22.5 inches) over a 48-hour period, Vijayan said earlier this week.
India has witnessed extreme weather conditions in recent years, from torrential rains and floods to droughts and cyclones, which some experts attribute to climate change.
