The death toll in the Wayanad landslides has reached nearly 150 with hundreds of others still feared trapped almost 24 hours after the disaster occurred in the district on Tuesday. Kerala is observing a two-day mourning from Wednesday while search and rescue operations are being carried out for the second day.
The national flag was at half-mast at the Kerala Government Secretariat. The District Emergency Operation Centre is compiling data to determine the actual number of missing people as many families wait for their loved ones to return.
The death toll is expected to rise in what can be described as one of the deadliest landslides this year has seen so far. The district was hit by three landslides in a matter of three hours, leaving a huge trail of destruction on its way.
The latest visual from the spot of the landslide shows how the Army and NDRF teams are conducting rescue operations in full swing amid all the debris.
Inside the rescue ops
Four columns from DSC Centre, Kannur, and 122 TA Battalion are conducting combined rescue operations alongside NDRF and State rescue teams in Wayanad.
Meanwhile, a bridge connecting Meepadi and Chooralmala Roads will be constructed from today to smoothen the evacuation process.
A senior official told PTI that the Army had been put on alert for the past 15 days. Over 1,000 people have been rescued via temporary bridges after a constructed bridge washed away during heavy rains.
Over 45 relief camps have been set up across the district with over 3,000 people being housed in them.
The Kerala Health Ministry has said that over 120 people are receiving treatments in several hospitals in Wayanad. Health Minister Veena George, meanwhile, has said that the postmortem on 116 bodies has been completed.
Survivor recall horror
For residents living in Wayanad, the past day has been one of horror, devastation and sorrow.
A victim of the landslide recalled how her life was wrecked by the disaster. She said, “I stay alone at my home, at night I felt like my bed is shaking and heard loud noises…I tried to call my neighbours but nobody picked up the phone…I called my son who stays in Coimbatore and he asked me to climb on top of the house and stay there. I couldn’t open the door as it was jammed. I yelled for help…after some time people came and broke the door with an axe and rescued me…when the second landslide came, my house also got swept away.”
She said that her relatives who stayed in Mundakkai had all died with two of their bodies being recovered while the rest are missing.
With inputs from agencies
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With over 140 dead, Wayanad picks up pieces after landslides; Rescue ops continue
