UTTARA KANNADA: At least seven people, including five members of a family, were killed in a landslide on a highway near Shirur town in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district on Tuesday.
Incessant rainfall in the area for a week triggered the landslide.
Authorities have launched a search operation, fearing more people may be trapped under the debris.
The fire department, emergency services, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have launched the search operation.
The landslide hit a car carrying five members of the family leading to their death.
A tea shop also collapsed, burying those who had gathered to drink the beverage.
BJP MP Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri said the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district briefed him on the incident, confirming seven fatalities.
"I have directed authorities to rescue those trapped under the landslide, " he said.