The death toll in Tuesday’s massive landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad district crossed the 300 mark on Friday with rescuers racing against time to search for survivors who are still trapped.
In collapsed buildings and under the debris. So far, 308 people have died in the landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the hilly areas of Wayanad. Rescue operations, which entered the fourth day, will be further widened and also include a drone-based radar to find the survivors.
Over 200 people suffered injuries as rescue efforts were hampered by various challenges, including treacherous terrain due to destroyed roads and bridges, and a shortage of equipment and a shortage of heavy equipment, making it difficult for emergency personnel to clear mud and uprooted trees that fell on houses and other buildings.
WAYANAD RESCUE OPERATIONS UPDATES
A joint team comprising the Indian Army, NDRF, Coast Guard and the Indian Navy will conduct the searches in the affected areas. Each team will have three locals and one forest department employee.
Forty teams of rescue personnel will divide the search areas into six zones to carry out the rescue operations. The first zone consists of Attamala and Aaranmala. Mundakkai is the second zone, Punjirimattam is the third zone, Vellarmala Village Road is the fourth zone, GVHSS Vellarmala is the fifth zone and downstream of the river Chaliyar is the sixth zone.
Police personnel from eight police stations surrounding the river and locals who are experts in swimming will also participate in the searches. A parallel search will be conducted using a helicopter.
As many as 25 ambulances will cross the Bailey Bridge constructed by the Indian Army in record time to Mundakkai after the structure collapsed due to the landslides. A drone-based radar from Delhi will arrive on Saturday to search for survivors.
The Coast Guard, Navy and Forest Department officials will conduct a search along the banks of the river Chaliyar and those places where the bodies are likely to have washed up.
Four more dogs from Tamil Nadu will be brought to Wayanad today to join the six other canines who are already involved in the rescue operations.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who arrived in Wayanad to oversee the rescue operations, will meet with party leaders on Friday for relief work. They will also meet with a delegation of Meppadi gram panchayat and attend a briefing by the district administration.
The Gandhi siblings met the landslide victims on Thursday and will visit the forest office in Mundakkai and Chooralmala today. Both these places were heavily damaged due to the landslides.
US President Joe Biden extended his condolences to the families of those who died in the landslides in Wayanad and praised the rescuers for their commitment and bravery despite the challenges in the recovery efforts.
While over 200 people were injured, the Army and other officials rescued around 1,000 and the death toll is expected to rise further as the rescue operations continue.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rain for Wayanad and several other districts over the next couple of days. A red alert for heavy rain has been issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts.