Wayanad Landslides: Death toll climbs to 190; rescue operation underway

WAYANAD: Two days after massive landslides struck the Wayanad district in Kerala, the death toll has climbed to 190. Revenue Minister K Rajan said, "The official death announced by the government so far in the Wayanad landslide is 190. Rest we have bodies that need DNA testing."

The Chief Minister chaired a high-level meeting that was attended by leaders of all political parties, state ministers, and other officials on Thursday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the main priority now is the rescue of the missing persons and rehabilitation will be initiated at the earliest. "Our focus is to rescue those who were isolated and stranded. I appreciate the efforts of the Army personnel. They have informed us that most of the trapped individuals have been rescued. Bringing down machinery to rescue those trapped under the soil was difficult and building the bridge eased the efforts. The construction of Bailey Bridge has been mostly completed," CM Vijayan said while addressing the media in Wayanad.

The Chief Minister said that rescue operations will continue in the river to search for missing people and highlighted that the next focus will be on rehabilitation. Earlier on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department of Kerala issued an orange alert in the Wayanad district until Saturday, which has already been affected by landslides claiming over 200 lives.

IMD Kerala director, Neetha K Gopal said that there will be rain, but in between there can be some clear spells, which will also give relief to the rescue operators. "We have issued an orange alert in 4 northern districts of Kerala, including Wayanad. In the south, up to Pathanamthitta, we have also issued a yellow alert. From tomorrow on, there will be a be a considerable reduction in rainfall activity. So the yellow alerts are being confirmed only for the northern districts of Kerala. And then from Sunday there will be a reduction and we will be experiencing only light to moderate rain thereafter for another four days," she said.

Piyush Anand, Director General of the National Disaster Response Force, said on Thursday that four teams are currently present in Wayanad and they are trying their best to save as many people as possible. He further mentioned that as of now, there are 12 teams in Kerala and four of them are in Wayanad.

In the wake of the landslides, the Indian Army has also completed the construction of the Cl 24 Bailey Bridge in record time. The bridge connecting Chooralmala with Mundakkai over the Iruvanipzha River is open to traffic and handed over to the Civil Administration.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the landslide site at Chooralmala, Wayanad, on Thursday. Addressing the media, Rahul Gandhi said that it was a terrible tragedy for Wayanad and that there is a lot that needs to be done here. "It is a terrible tragedy for Wayanad, for Kerala and the nation. We have come here to see the situation. It is painful to see how many people have lost family members and their houses. We will try to help and make sure that the survivors get what is their due. A lot of them want to be relocated. There is a lot that needs to be done here. I would like to thank all those including doctors, nurses, administration, and volunteers," he said.

In the aftermath of the landslide in Wayanad, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's appeal for contributions to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) has garnered significant support. Through campaign drives, donations are pouring in from different quarters to aid the affected areas. Internationally renowned sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik created a sand sculpture to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in this tragedy.

With the message "Pray for Wayanad " at Puri beach in Odisha, Patnaik said that in this situation we stand with Wayanad, and he also salutes to all military forces and NDRF with other organizations, those working day and night at the ground zero. Two massive landslides struck Mundakkai and Churalmala in Wayanad in the early hours of July 30, causing extensive destruction, loss of lives, and injury to hundreds, as per the Kerala Revenue Department.