From Ground Zero: Wayanad toll crosses 334 with 18 more dead bodies recovered

WAYANAD: Braving rains and adverse terrain, rescuers including the public and canines led by the Army, recovered 18 more bodies, including four of a family, from the debris of a house at Mundakkai here on the fourth day on Friday even as the toll in the Wayanad landslide touched 334.

The day-4 search for bodies buried under the debris, created by one of the worst natural calamities to have struck Kerala, concluded without any trace of surviving human life in Mundakkai-Chooralmala villages near Meppadi which were devastated in a landslide in the wee hours of Tuesday. Though there was widespread excitement over the reports that the team had saved four persons from the debris of a house, later it was revealed that the family had refused to move out from the house earlier when volunteers found them as the house was less damaged. However, the Army personnel evacuated the family – identified as John KJ, Jomol John, Christine John and Abraham John – and shifted them to a camp.

Night search for trapped life

By evening at Mundakkai Top, a village in the upper reaches, the rescue team had started removing the debris from a shop building and surroundings as signals from the thermal cameras scanning system indicated an active life on building premises. The search would continue at night with a strong lighting system.

The 350-member strong rescue team was grouped into six for a detailed search using heavy vehicles including earth movers, with the entire region divided into six zones.

A widespread search is under way – involving helicopters, rescue teams with fibre boats and groups of scuba divers – in the entire length of the mountain stream and the River Chaliayar as dead bodies and parts of bodies were found over 10 kilometres away at Pantheeramkavu in Kozhikode district.

It is to be recalled that 119 bodies, including 87 mangled parts, were recovered from the lower reaches of the river during the searches in the last four days.

The state government confirmed the death of 210 persons in the tragedy including 96 males, 85 females and 29 children. Among the bodies, only 146 were identified while 134 mangled body parts are yet to be identified. Postmortem of 207 bodies were performed so far. As many as 62 bodies were handed over to the district administration for mass burial.

However, the number of missing persons is increasing as more and more people are coming up from various parts of the country in search of their relatives. As per the data collected by the authorities, 284 persons are still missing. This includes migrant labourers residing in the labour quarters of various plantations in the area who have approached the authorities as they failed to contact them since the disaster.

The mission would continue as countless houses buried deep in soil and rock from the hills in a vast area are yet to be cleared.

(By special arrangement)