Efforts are underway to find both survivors and victims
KOZHIKODE: Death toll at the Wayand landslide tragedy crosses 289 and with over 200 injured as of Thursday morning.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has confirmed that 240 people remain missing, while more than 1,500 have been rescued from the affected areas.
Moreover, Vijayan has firmly rejected Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in Parliament, asserting that Kerala did not receive an early warning from central agencies about the disaster.
Four additional assistant collectors deployed to aid the Wayanad landslide response. Assistant collectors from Idukki, Palakkad, and Kozhikode districts have been deployed to support the Wayanad district administration in the aftermath of the landslide.
The district authority fear the number of victims may increase given the scale of the disaster.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have arrived at Delhi airport and will soon depart for Wayanad, Kerala.
The army-led search and rescue mission has completed the construction of Bailey Bridge despite adverse weather conditions due to incessant rain pose challenges in the area.
Nearly 250 people have been admitted to hospitals in the region.
The landslides occurred between 2 and 4.10 a.m. on Tuesday, catching many off guard while they were asleep, resulting in a large number of casualties. Massive landslides caused by torrential rains devastated the lovely hamlets of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha, leaving a trail of death, ruin, and misery.
At least 117 bodies, along with several body parts, have been recovered from the Chaliyar River at Nimabur in the neighboring Malappuram district, about 40 kilometers from the landslide site.
On Wednesday, the search team recovered 94 bodies buried under debris or trapped in collapsed houses and buildings.
State Revenue Minister K. Rajan highlighted that damaged road networks and heavy slush are making search operations extremely challenging.
The situation has been further complicated by the destruction of a bridge across a stream between the worst-affected Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages. The bridge was washed away by a torrent of water and landslides that struck early Tuesday morning.
The stream has since become swollen and turbid. Search teams and media personnel are currently crossing the stream via a makeshift, precariously hanging narrow footbridge. The situation is expected to improve once the Army completes the Bailey bridge, which is anticipated to be ready by Thursday morning.
Hundreds of houses and buildings have been buried under slush, landslide debris, and uprooted trees carried by the floodwaters. The search teams have been able to clear only a few areas due to the overwhelming obstacles. They have had to remove debris manually, as it is nearly impossible to use machinery in the affected areas. The concrete roofs of collapsed buildings have further delayed their efforts.
The search team abandoned operations for the day by evening due to heavy rainfall, fading light, and thickening mist.
.According to the local grama panchayat officials, only about 50 of Mundakkai village’s 450 houses withstood the massive landslide, though severely damaged. The remaining houses were either buried under debris or washed away.
Two villages disappeared
The worst-hit villages, Mundakkai and Churalmala, have been obliterated. Only heaps of damaged buildings, mangled vehicles, massive wooden logs, and stray dogs remain.
Several houses, shops, and vehicles have been buried under debris in Mundakkai, a village near Meppady town. A bridge to the area has been washed away, further complicating rescue efforts.
The landslides struck the area early Tuesday morning while many were still asleep.
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