Search operation continues as more bodies recovered after landslides hit southern India

NEW DELHI

A search operation in India's southern Kerala state to find more than 200 people who went missing in landslides earlier this week entered its fourth day on Friday, as rescuers recovered more bodies, taking the official death toll to nearly 200.

A massive landslide struck the state’s Wayanad district on Tuesday, prompting a massive rescue operation in the area.

An official requesting anonymity told Anadolu that the rescuers had so far recovered 196 bodies and over 110 body parts.

The operation continues to find more than 200 people, the official added.

Meanwhile, dozens of people are also missing in the northern Himachal Pradesh state after cloudbursts early Thursday morning killed four people.

In the neighboring Uttarakhand state, nearly a dozen people died after heavy rains lashed the Himalayan state, causing flooding and house collapses.

The Indian Air Force said it is undertaking simultaneous assistance and disaster relief operations in Wayanad and Uttarakhand.