Key Points
At least 121 people were killed, 128 were injured and hundreds remained missing in Wayanad district of Kerala after days of ceaseless rain triggered a series of landslides at dawn on Tuesday that wiped out and isolated much of a remote hamlet, caked neighbourhoods in mud and swept away roads, a bridge and other public infrastructure, as the states worst monsoon disaster since 2018 underscored the disproportionate brunt of the climate crisis that ecologically sensitive regions bear.I)..
The southern Kerala district was pummelled by 572mm of rain on Monday and Tuesday, precipitating two landslides between 1am and 4am in Chooralmala village that sent fierce currents of water and mud into Mundakkai village downstream and snapped a bridge between the two hamlets..
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had only forecast between 64mm and 200mm of rain for the region during this time..
The army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed several teams to rescue people, but relief efforts were significantly hobbled by the destruction of infrastructure, continuous rain and the swelling waters of the Iruvanzhinji river, prompting forces to trek through treacherous terrain, even as two Indian Air Force choppers made their way to the affected areas..
Since 2017, close to 900 people have died in Kerala due to extreme rain and landslides, said state government estimates..
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