Calamity struck in the early hours of Tuesday, catching the sleeping victims off-guard. Frantic calls for help were made and the rescue personnel were racing against time to pull out survivors.
According to the district collector Meghasree D R, the latest toll stood at 45. In connection with the landslide in Chooralmala she confirmed that 36 deaths have been reported. Additionally, nine bodies swept away by the Chaliyar River were recovered in Malappuram.
The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy.
Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.
Rescue teams were working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded, with the Indian Army joining the efforts. Besides the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the state government has also deployed disaster response teams from the police and the fire force to affected areas.
Hundreds are feared to be trapped in the landslides, but authorities have not confirmed this.
Frantic phone calls made by people desperately pleading for help after being trapped under destroyed houses and piles of debris highlighted the intensity of the deadly landslide.
