Over twenty persons have been killed by floods in India Kerala State after heavy rains trigggered landslides and swept through towns and villages.
Officials said rescuers recovered the bodies in two of the worst-hit districts, Kottayam and Idukki, where heavy downpours caused massive landslides.
Five children are among the dead, wih fears that death toll could rise further as many people are missing.
Torrential rain has battered the coastal state of Kerala since Friday, causing rivers to swell and flooding roads that left vehicles submerged in muddy waters, with some houses reduced to rubble.
Several houses were washed away and people became trapped in the district of Kottayam in Kerala state.
Video from the area showed bus passengers being rescued after their vehicle was inundated with floodwater.
The state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged residents to exercise extreme caution, even though the intense rainfall had since eased.
In 2018, at least 324 people were killed and more than 300,000 evacuated after torrential rain hit Keala.
Military helicopters are being used to fly in supplies and personnel to areas where people are trapped, officials said.