Four were killed and many injured as torrential monsoon rains wreak havoc in a hilly southern district
A couple made a miraculous escape from a landslide during a devastating spell of torrential monsoon rains that claimed four lives in a mountainous district in India’s southern state.
Four people were killed and nine others injured after a landslide in Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday, authorities said. The landslide hit a tunneling site, trapping several workers there.
Search and rescue efforts continued, officials said, adding six people are reportedly missing. The death toll is likely to rise.
A man and woman escaped certain death after a tanker lorry that got caught in the debris flow pushed them back nearly a quarter of a mile to a petrol station, while also partly shielding them from the mud and rocks. When the tanker slid to a stop, the muddied couple got up and walked off.
CCTV footage from the incident near the gas station has since gone viral.
Kerala: Couple covered in mud escapes landslide in Wayanad, says 'God got us back'.
Recounting the incident, the woman said, "I got scared seeing the mud rushing towards us. We couldn't do anything. I somehow escaped with my husband. I have pain in my hands now."
“The lorry was… pic.twitter.com/a74shERKo4
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) July 7, 2026
A red alert has been sounded in the region. Two of the nine people admitted to a hospital were later released, while seven continue to undergo treatment.
In 2024, a deadly landslide killed nearly 400 and left thousands homeless in the mountainous district in Kerala, a South Indian trijunction bordering the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Tuesday’s landslide occurred only a few kilometers from one of the sites devastated in 2024.
The authorities have begun evacuating nearby areas as rain continues to lash the region.
Heavy rainfall linked to climate change and unplanned construction in geographically fragile areas is cited as the key reason for frequent natural calamities in India’s hilly regions.
The Indian Meteorological Department’s latest forecast predicts below-normal monsoon rainfall in the country in July.
July 8, 2026 at 04:25PM
RT