Wayanad: Actor Mohanlal on Saturday referred to landslide incidents in Kerala's Wayanad as "one of the biggest tragedies the country has ever seen."
Mohanlal reached landslide-hit areas in Wayanad and met affected people.
He also thanked all the volunteers engaged in the search, rescue and relief operations in Chooralmala and Mundakkai, where around 206 people are still feared trapped.
"We get to know about the depth of this incident when we go up and see ourselves. There is a lot of mud and not sure if people are still trapped inside. I thank everyone who is working behind this from the bottom of my heart. This is one of the biggest tragedies India has ever seen. We won't be able to retrieve back what we already lost but we need to make sure how we can help these people for their future," Mohanlal said while speaking to reporters in Wayanad.
The actor, who is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army, was seen wearing Army uniform as he visited the affected sites this morning. He met with Army personnel engaged in rescue and relief operations.
The death toll in the landslides, which struck in Chooralmala and Mundakkai of Wayanad district on July 30, stands at 308 as of Friday, as stated by Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that 215 bodies were recovered so far as rescue operations are in the final phase in landslides-hit Wayanad. 206 people are still missing and 83 are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. He said that a total of 10,042 people were shifted to shelter camps.
The relief teams began the search operations along with the dog squad at 7 am on Saturday. The relief columns of the Indian Army are also present at the spot and all activities are coordinated by North Kerala IGP.
On the ongoing rescue operations, Kerala ADGP (law and order) MR Ajith Kumar said, "This is the 5th day of rescue and relief operations. We are trying to see how many bodies can be recovered. The entire area has been divided into 6 zones. We have been concentrating on the river zone with Police officers, forest guards, fire force, coast guard and locals on the job."
"As per district administration, they are getting calls for around 400 people. Some people were from other states also, who used to work here," he added.
—ANI