Steph Deschamps / October 17, 2021
At least 35 people have died in landslides and floods in the Indian state of Kerala over the past week, disaster management officials said Monday.
Twenty-two of them died in two landslides in Kottayam and Idukki districts that swept away several houses and buried others in mud and debris after heavy rains on Saturday.
The body of a 7-year-old child was pulled from the rubble in Kottayam on Sunday night, and rescue workers were continuing the search, according to the Malayalam Manorama newspaper.
Several drownings and people swept away by the floodwaters were reported.
Several dams are close to overflowing. Water is gradually being released from these dams and thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying areas along the rivers and housed in more than 100 relief camps, according to a statement from local authorities.
The local weather service has warned of at least three days of very heavy rain starting Wednesday, raising fears of further flooding.