The death toll in the devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad district rose to 167 on Wednesday, while 191 were missing even as the rescue teams intensified efforts to find survivors trapped under the debris on the second day of the search operations.
Tiny makeshift bridges were erected over swollen rivers and excavators were engaged non-stop in removing piles of debris and boulders in the landslide-hit hamlets of Wayanad. Rescue operators, including Army personnel, NDRF, state emergency service personnel, and local people, were fighting against all odds to carry out the tough mission even as rain continued to lash several areas.
There were tense moments when people, including women and children, were being brought to safer places through the narrow, makeshift bridges across gushing rivers.
In some places, rescuers formed human bridges using ropes to ensure the safe evacuation of people.
In riskier terrain, people were lifted by making them sit on wooden platforms across a river that was in spate.
“Rescue operations in Wayanad are continuing in full swing. Our land has never experienced such painful sights before,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
The Wayanad district administration confirmed 167 deaths in the landslides that occurred in Mundakkai and Chooralmala on Tuesday morning.
Of these, 96 people have been identified: 77 men, 67 women, and 22 children. The gender of one deceased person remains unknown.
Earlier, at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan stated that 191 people are still missing.
Officials reported that post-mortem examinations were conducted on 166 bodies. Additionally, 61 body parts were recovered, with 49 sent for post-mortem examination.
Seventy-five bodies have been returned to their relatives.
A total of 219 people were transported to hospitals from the disaster site. Of these, 78 are still receiving treatment at various hospitals, while 142 have been transferred to camps after treatment. Currently, 73 individuals are undergoing treatment in Wayanad and 5 in Malappuram.
Earlier in the day, a Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Vijayan expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the disaster.
Vijayan said the scenes in Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of the district are devastating. “Both these areas have been completely destroyed,” he said.
He added that efforts to rescue as many people as possible from the disaster zone are progressing well.
“In the two-day rescue operation, 1,592 people were rescued. This is the achievement of a coordinated and extensive mission to save so many people in a short span of time,” Vijayan said.
He said that in the first phase, 206 people from 68 families in the nearby areas of the disaster were shifted to three camps. There were 75 men, 88 women, and 43 children, the chief minister said.
Following the landslide, 1,386 people who were stranded and those who were trapped in their homes were rescued.
This included 559 women, and 299 children who were shifted to seven camps. “Two hundred and one people were rescued and taken to the hospital, of which 90 are currently undergoing treatment,” he said.
Vijayan said that in Wayanad district, there are currently 8,017 people in 82 relief camps. Among them were 19 pregnant women.
“There are eight camps in Meppadi, where 1,486 people from 421 families are currently staying,” he said.
He said operations are underway to find bodies floating down the river and reaching nearby Malappuram district.
“A team of 1,167 personnel has been deployed for the rescue operation. This includes 645 firefighters led by 10 station officers, 94 NDRF personnel, 167 District Sainik Welfare Centre personnel, 153 personnel from the Madras Engineer Group, and Coast Guard personnel who arrived on Tuesday,” Vijayan said.
Meanwhile, rescue teams comprising the Army, Navy and NDRF are collectively looking for survivors by unearthing the debris and breaking into the remains of houses destroyed or covered up with mud in the landslides.
According to a Defence statement, army units deployed in the area rescued around 1,000 people from the affected areas till Tuesday night.
Additionally, the Air Force is carrying out aerial reconnaissance of the affected areas to coordinate search and rescue operations.
The landslides occurred around 2 am and 4.10 am on Tuesday catching people off-guard while they were sleeping, leading to a high number of casualties.
Harrowing scenes of dead bodies in sitting and lying positions inside destroyed houses could be seen as rescue operations resumed in the landslide-devastated Mundakkai hamlet on Wednesday morning.
The rescuers could reach many inland areas, which were totally cut off on Wednesday morning only.
Union Minister George Kurian said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely monitoring the situation.
Kurian visited the people affected by the landslide in Wayanad.
“The situation is being monitored by the Central government at the highest level. The Honourable Prime Minister is monitoring the situation and has deputed me to visit the affected areas.
“Both control rooms of the Ministry of Home Affairs are monitoring the situation 24×7 and providing all possible assistance to the state,” he said.
The Chief Minister’s Office said that the Army will construct a Bailey bridge for rescue operations in Wayanad’s Chooralmala.–(PTI)