Rescuers search for 5 missing after deadly landslide in India's Kerala state

Seven workers were injured in the landslide and are currently receiving medical treatment. Rescue efforts, involving disaster response teams and sniffer dogs, are being hampered by persistent heavy rainfall. A video circulating showed a large mass of mud collapsing, dislodging trees and sweeping away barriers at the construction site.

Kerala's agriculture minister, T. Siddique, suggested that the landslide was not a natural event but rather a consequence of unscientific earth dumping, citing a failure to clear construction debris despite prior warnings. However, the construction company has refuted these claims, asserting that the landslide originated from a point significantly above the work area.

An official investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the landslide. This event follows a pattern of significant loss of life and property across India due to cloudbursts, floods, and landslides in the previous year. Experts attribute the increasing intensity and erratic nature of South Asia's monsoon seasons to human-caused climate change.