Wayanad: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired an all-party meeting in Wayanad on Thursday to discuss the situation as landslides claimed over 100 lives. The meeting was held at the APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Hall in the Civil Station in Wayanad.
Two massive landslides struck Mundakkai and Churalmala in Wayanad in the early hours of July 30, causing extensive destruction, and 167 people were declared dead in the aftermath of the landslides, as per the Kerala Revenue Department.
Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan, Deputy Leader PK Kunjalikutty, Kerala Ministers K Rajan, AK Saseendran, P Prasad, K Krishnankutty, Roshi Augustine, Veena George, Kadannapally Ramachandran, OR Kelu and Muhammad Riyas, among others, attended the meeting.
Chief Secretary V Venu, DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb, district collector VR Megha Sree, and other higher officials were also present at the meeting. The Chief Minister will visit the affected areas in the district later in the day, the Chief Minister's Office said.
Assistant collectors from Idukki, Palakkad, and Kozhikode districts have been deployed to support the Wayanad district administration in the aftermath of the landslide.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) held high-level meetings, and control room activities and is operating at full capacity given the situation.
KSDMA Member Secretary Sekhar L Kuriakose earlier briefed his team on the current situation. NDRF Deputy Commandant S Shankar Pandian is coordinating the NDRF team from the KSDMA headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
Despite the ongoing heavy rainfall, KSDMA and other agencies are working tirelessly to expedite rescue operations and provide relief to the affected areas.
The Indian Coast Guard Disaster Relief Team, in coordination with the Indian Army, Indian Navy, NDRF, SDRF, and District Administration, is on the ground in Vellari Village in Wayanad, after the devastating landslide. Coast Guard officials said that rescue teams are actively searching for missing persons and providing urgent aid and support to the affected. Teams are on the ground, providing aid and support to those affected. Our priority is to ensure safety and swift recovery.
Earlier, soldiers of the 122 Infantry Battalion of the Territorial Army from West Hill Barracks, Calicut commenced search and rescue operations from Vellarimala towards Attamala through severely landslide-affected areas.
The Indian Army has ramped up its rescue operations, successfully evacuating several people from affected areas to safety. Troops from the Army's Madras Sappers constructed an improvised 100-foot bridge overnight and opened it to the public. This will further aid the rescue operations and assist in quickly evacuating stranded people.
Major General VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, said that the bridge construction would allow the Army to bring heavy equipment to the rescue site.
Major General Mathews said that on Thursday, more than 100 bodies were recovered after multiple devastating landslides struck Wayanad in Kerala, adding that over 500 Army personnel are engaged in the search and rescue operation.
"We have been here supporting the Kerala government and people since July 30. We have recovered 100+ bodies, and the overall body count is much higher. We have also rescued many people," he said.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George informed that the genetic samples are being taken from the recovered body parts.
According to sources from the Department of Information and Public Relations (PRD) Control Room in Wayanad, 96 victims have been identified, including 77 men, 67 women, and 22 children. Post-mortem examinations have been conducted on 166 bodies and 49 body parts. A total of 75 bodies have been handed over to relatives.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
—ANI