Landslide toll over 200; Rescue ops continue
Swollen river, slush and debris everywhere as rains continue hindering the rescue operations
image for illustrative purpose
Wayanad (Kerala): As many as 205 people have died and over 200 are missing still missing and 1,000 injured in the massive landslides that hit the northern Kerala district of Wayanad a day ago, with the numbers expected to increase as rescuers unearth debris, the district administration said on Wednesday.
The dead include 18 children, it said. It also said that 86 bodies were identified and post-mortem of 147 were completed. Out of 52 body parts recovered, the post-mortem of 42 was completed, it said. Of the bodies, 75 were handed over to relatives or next of kin, it further said. It also said that 213 people were admitted to hospitals from the disaster-hit areas and of them 97 are still undergoing treatment.
Tiny makeshift bridges have been erected over swollen rivers and excavators were engaged non-stop in removing piles of debris and boulders, with rescue missions continuing in the landslide-hit hamlets of Wayanad on Wednesday. Rescue operators, including Army personnel, NDRF, state emergency service personnel, and local people, were fighting all odds to carry out the tough mission even as rain continued to lash several areas.
In Mundakkai, one of the badly affected villages, tiny bridges were erected using ropes and ladders to connect with the cut-off land and bring the people trapped there to safety.
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.
As the majority of houses were flattened, rescuers broke open the roofs and entered the collapsed structures using ropes to search for any people trapped inside.
“Continuing rains, thick mud, slippery grounds, and swollen rivers pose challenges to the rescue mission,” a local resident said. Various rescue agencies resumed their operations early in the morning to trace people suspected to be trapped.
Fears of mounting fatalities have been sparked by apprehensions that several people may still be trapped under the debris.
Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children.
