Landslides kill at least 43

Torrential monsoon rains submerged several villages and triggered mudslides in remote hilly areas in northern India today, killing at least 43 people, government officials said.

Rescue efforts were hampered by pouring rain and lack of roads in Uttaranchal state, nearly 185 miles northeast of the capital New Delhi.

Army and paramilitary soldiers had been called in to help the rescue efforts, but were expected to reach the remote mountainous area only by early tomorrow, said R.S. Tolia, Uttaranchal’s chief secretary.

The death toll continued to mount as rescuers battled heavy rain to clear debris and pull out bodies from piles of mud, rocks and uprooted trees.

Virendra Singh, an official from Tehri-Garhwal district in Uttaranchal, said rescuers have pulled out 43 bodies so far from landslide sites in the villages of Marwadi, Medugoan, Kotgaon and Angoda.

Helicopters carrying equipment and additional rescue workers had not been able to land because of rain and poor light, Singh said.

The district headquarters were yet to receive information about some of the more remote villages that lack telephones or accessible roads, he said.

Uma Kant Panwar, the top district administrator, said that in the Dhansali region of the district, several villages were swept away and many houses were demolished or damaged, killing 12 people and injuring several others.

A cloudburst hit nearby Uttarkashi district and started heavy landslides, damaging several homes, said D.K. Gupta, a top state official.

At least six villages were swept away by a torrent of muddy water flowing down from the mountains, but there were no casualties, Gupta said.

In India, the monsoon season begins in June and ends in late September.