Four people were rescued from a house in Wayanad, three days after devastating landslides, as search operations accelerated after the building of a key bridge that helped transport heavy equipment to the affected area.
The disaster, the worst in Kerala since deadly floods in 2018, has led to the death of 308 people.
Two men and two women were found alive by the army in a marooned, remote area on Friday.
“They were not buried, they were just in a remote area,” officials told media.
Rescue efforts were hampered initially after Mundakkai, the worst affected area, was cut off from the nearest town of Chooralmala as the main bridge connecting them was washed away.
Heavy vehicles had begun to ply on the 190-foot (58-metre) bridge constructed by army engineers, and drones with earth-sensing technology to find bodies buried in mud are being brought in, the army said in a statement.
Rescue teams have deployed additional forces, including swimming experts, to focus on the Chaliyar river and its river banks where bodies are likely to be found.
Experts said the area had received heavy rain in the last two weeks that softened the soil before extremely heavy rainfall on Monday triggered the landslides.
Nearly 1,600 people have been rescued from hillside villages and tea and cardamom estates during the last two days with nearly 350 buildings damaged.
(With inputs from agencies)