IN PICS | Wayanad landslides: The devasted land in God's own country

Rescue and relief operations continue for the third day in Wayanad, with the death toll from Tuesday's landslides rising to 277 and at least 240 people still missing.

The massive landslides caused by heavy rains hit the villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha.

The landslide destroyed several houses, uprooted trees, and wiped entire villages off Wayanad's map.

The landslides left behind a trail of death and destruction in the hill district.

Most of the victims were asleep when the landslides struck between 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m on July 30. 

 Huge boulders and uprooted trees rushed down from Mundakkai to Chooralmala, causing severe damage. 

The heavy water surge from the hilltop altered the small Iruvazhinji river, flooding everything along its banks.

Several people remain missing in the landslide-hit region, where rescue operators are contending with adverse conditions.

Tea-plantation workers who lived in the estate lanes of Chooralmala and Mundakkai have been the worst-affected by the disaster.