Bodies of the dead --including those of four members from a single family --were found on Thursday, hours after heavy rain triggered the early morning mudslides in Mokokchung town in Nagaland state, district administrator Imkongtemsu Ao said by telephone from the remote area.

"It rained like never before throughout Wednesday night. The scene was like water pouring out of buckets, resulting in massive landslides at several places in this hill station," Ao said.

Six people were injured, he said.

Most of the mudslides occurred before dawn on Thursday, wiping out the four-member family of Boken Das, a street vendor. A police officer lost his mother and three daughters, Ao said. Police and paramilitary troopers, helped by civilian volunteers, recovered the bodies.

"The entire town is perched on a hilltop and the landslides have not only blocked major roads linking the town to the rest of India, but also have made communication to localities within it difficult," Ao said by telephone.