Wayanad: The scenic Indian villages devastated by deadly landslides

A loud noise shook Ajay Ghosh awake at his home in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the early hours of Tuesday.

At first, the salesman, who lives in Wayanad district’s Mundakkai village, did not quite understand what caused the sound.

But when he looked out and saw an enormous amount of mud flowing down from a hill above, he knew what was coming.

At least 158 people have been killed and 227 people are still missing in the massive landslides that hit Mundakkai and neighbouring Chooralmala area that night.

The disaster, which is the worst the state has seen since 2018, has left behind a trail of destruction in its wake.

Pictures show uprooted trees, flattened houses and broken bridges submerged in muddied waters.

“My family survived but 40 people died near my house, not even a mile away,” Mr Ghosh said.

The intensity of the landslide was so high that it split the Iruvanipuzha river, which flows through the area, into two.