Massive landslides that struck the steep villages surrounding Meppadi in Kerela’s Wayanad have left at least 256 persons dead and over 200 injured, according to Health Minister Veena George.
About 1,000 individuals have been saved by the Army, but 220 are still unaccounted for.
Wayanad saw three landslides on Tuesday as a result of intense rain. The district’s villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha suffered the worst damage from the landslides.
According to a news agency, the Army established a Command and Control Centre in Kozhikode to coordinate actions related to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, or HADR.
The Health Minister said, “At least 1,500 Army personnel have been deployed for the rescue operation. We have deployed forensic surgeons.”
She claimed that thousands of people suffering from mental trauma are housed in relief camps.
On the third day, the rescue efforts got back underway, with teams from the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard working with the NDRF and other organisations. For every squad, there would be a dog squad.
The Army claimed in a post on X that the Engineer Task Force from the Madras Engineer Group is building a temporary Bailey bridge in Chooralmala.
To help with the search efforts, an Indian Air Force aircraft has landed in Kannur with three search and rescue dog teams and an additional set of a 110-foot Bailey bridge.
On Thursday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the sister of Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, will tour the Wayanad relief camps.
Wayanad will host an all-party meeting on Thursday that will be presided over by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
According to an news agency report, an NDRF staff member stated that since the district was still experiencing intense rains, there was a possibility of another landslip. There are now two helpline numbers available: 9656938689 and 8086010833.
For Wayanad and a few other districts during the next few days, further rain is expected, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. For the districts of Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod, a red alert for heavy rain has been issued.
A number of nations, including the US, China, Russia, and Iran, sent their sympathies for the landslip casualties.
