INDIANS dug through swirling mud to uncover dozens of submerged homes today in a search for more than 100 people swallowed up by a landslide.

Seven teams of rescue workers worked through the night at flattened Malin village in Maharashtra state. 

But incessant rain, mud and poor communications in the remote area slowed their efforts to make their way into engulfed thatched huts and brick houses.

A hillside above the village collapsed on Wednesday and heavy rain since has raised fears of another landslide.

The head of rescue operations at the National Disaster Response Force said that 21 bodies had been recovered so far, with 129 people still thought to be feared under the mud that covered dozens of houses.

“We have mapped the 46 houses and are trying to remove the mud from the most densely populated areas,” said operations chief Alok Avasthy.