55 confirmed dead after south India landslide

Fifty-five bodies have been recovered by rescuers in southern India's Kerala state as efforts continued to find 15 people who are unaccounted for after last week's landslide, a local official said.

Heavy monsoon rains in the Pettamudi hills in Kerala's Idukki region triggered a massive landslide on Friday burying a settlement of tea plantation workers in mud and debris.

"Around 82 people were living in the quarters. Twelve people have been rescued and 55 bodies found," said Antony Scaria, a senior administrative official in Idukki district.

Search operations led by the National Disaster Response Force were continuing to trace the 15 people still missing. Intermittent heavy rains made search operations difficult, Scaria said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and governor Arif Mohammad Khan were visiting the area on Thursday.

Landslides and floods are common during India's monsoon season. The rains are vital for agriculture, but often cause immense destruction of property and crops, and lead to the loss of lives.

Across the country, at least 884 people died in incidents related to monsoons between the end of May and up until Wednesday, the Home Ministry said.