At least 43 people have been killed in landslides caused by torrential rains in the Nilgiris hills in Tamil Nadu, officials said on Tuesday.

"The victims included men, women and children, and they were either washed away in floods or buried in landslips," said an official at the flood control centre in Udhagamandalam, popularly known as Ooty, 500 km (300 miles) from capital Chennai.

Relief operations were underway, he said.

The weather office has warned of more rains and district officials have cautioned residents and tourists to keep off the winding roads in the picturesque hills famous for its tea.

"People living on the slopes have been advised to move to upper reaches and we have issued a warning to tourists to stay away," said district administrator Anand Patil.

It would take a month to restore normal road traffic between Ooty and the plains, he said, as roads have been blocked by boulders and fallen trees.

At least 30 people have died elsewhere in the state, most of them in house collapses, police said.