Waves crash against a barrier erected at the site of a coastal road project in Mumbai. AFP

 A mudslide triggered by heavy monsoon rain and flooding killed at least five people in southern India on Friday, police said.

Kerala state's top elected official Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted that dozens of people were feared trapped and teams from the National Disaster Response Force were on their way to Idukki district's Rajamalai area where the mudslide occurred.

Police officer confirmed five deaths. Communication links and electricity wires were snapped and a road bridge in the area washed away.

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The rising Muthirapuzha River also flooded low-lying areas of Munnar, also in Iddiki district.

Annual monsoon rains hit South Asian from June to September. The rains are crucial for rain-fed crops planted during the season but often cause extensive damage.

More than 550 people have died in India, Bangladesh and Nepal and over 9.6 million people have been displaced across South Asia since the flooding began in June, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC.

Associated Press