At least 19 people were killed after multiple landslides in the hills of India's southern state of Kerala on Tuesday, local media reported, with heavy rain and poor internet connectivity hampering rescue efforts.
Hundreds of people are likely to be trapped and as many 19 people have died, including a child, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
Television visuals showed water gushing through rocks and fallen trees, with many houses destroyed.
"The situation is serious. The government has pressed all agencies into rescue," state Forest Minister A K Saseendran told Reuters.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast extremely heavy rain in the state on Tuesday.
Relief efforts are ongoing, and two helicopters of the Indian Air Force have been mobilised, the Kerala chief minister's office said in a statement.
Rescue efforts were hampered as there was no internet connectivity in the area, Mohsen Shahedi, a senior National Disaster Response Force officer said.
The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will resume on December 30, Malaysia's transport ministry said on Wednesday, more than a decade after the Beijing-bound flight disappeared in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.
India is willing to amend an order requiring smartphone makers to pre-install a state-run cybersecurity app, the telecoms minister said on Wednesday, signalling a softening government stance following a backlash over surveillance fears.
The Trump administration has said it paused all immigration applications on Tuesday, including green card and US citizenship processing, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing concerns over national security and public safety.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday a deal with Syria is possible and he expects Syrian authorities to establish a demilitarised buffer zone from Damascus to Mount Hermon and other areas.
Palestinian group Hamas said it was handing over the remains of one of the two last hostage bodies still in Gaza on Tuesday, and Israel said it was preparing to receive "findings".