Prasanna Kumar, a survivor of the deadly landslides that struck Kerala's Wayanad district on July 30, saw his sister and her family being swept away by the swirling and powerful muddy waters. Several others who were sleeping were caught unaware and were also washed away.

"I have seen many landslides in this region but this was devastating. The ground shook and the earth under my feet gave way in the blink of an eye. There was a trail of death and destruction after," Kumar told DW from a relief camp.

Rescue operations are winding down in the search for some 200 people who are still missing, including Kumar's relatives. The natural disaster took the lives of over 300 people and caused damage to property and infrastructure. It has also prompted soul-searching over whether India should be taking more steps to avoid environmental catastrophes in the future.

Sunita Narain, director at the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi, highlighted natural disasters in the Himalayan region as examples of the environment being unable to withstand damaging activities such as deforestation and ill-considered construction.

Last year, Joshimath town in the state of Uttarakhand was reported to be "sinking," with cracks in the town's buildings........

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