Wayanad Landslide Death Toll Rises To 256; CM Vijayan, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka on Ground Zero

Heavy rains hinder rescue efforts in Wayanad, where landslides have claimed over 245 lives and left 240 missing. Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi will visit the area today.

Wayanad Landslides Updates: Heavy rains are impeding rescue operations in the disaster-stricken Wayanad in Kerala, where around 240 still missing after massive landslides hit the area. A massive rescue operation involving 1,200 officials from various defence, police, and fire service personnel, besides local volunteers, is currently on at the four worst-affected landslide areas of Wayanad -- Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil, and Pothukalu, which caught thousands of people unawares when two landslides took place early on Tuesday.  The death toll in the landslides crossed 250. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rain or thundershower is most likely to occur at most places in Kerala till Friday, August 2.

The Kerala Government has opened two control rooms to attend to distress calls from citizens ( 9656938689 and 8086010833).

A holiday has been declared in all educational institutions in Kerala's Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, and Idukki on Thursday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a 'yellow' alert in these nine districts, indicating a heavy rainfall ranging from 64.5 to 115.5 mm within 24 hours. Educational institutions in Pathanamthitta district and Kanjirappally and Meenachil taluks of Kottayam will also have a holiday on Thursday, according to a report by Manorama online. 

Meanwhile, Congress top brass Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are visiting the disaster-stricken region of Wayanad, where they will meet with families affected by the devastating landslide in Meppadi. During their visit, the Congress leaders will also tour the relief camps established in local schools and medical institutes. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is also in Wayanad today to take stock of the situation and hold an all-party meeting to discuss the rehabilitation plans that will be charted out for the ravaged four villages

Kerala Landslide Top Updates

• Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, are working round the clock in Wayanad, grappling with a distressing situation that involves providing critical care to severely injured survivors and performing autopsies on the remains of victims claimed by the catastrophic event. Until 7 am today, we have completed 256 autopsies, which include body parts as well. So, it's not 256 full bodies, but also includes body parts, as per a report by news agency PTI. 


• Kerala Health Minister Veena George said, "We have handed over 154 bodies to the district administration. We are taking genetic samples of the recovered body parts...Our CM asked for the support of the Army and Airforce and we were provided with that support. CM will come to Wayanad today and will convene an official meeting."

• Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan on Wednesday said that the coordinated and extensive rescue operations by the NDRF, Army, and other agencies ensured that over 1,500 people were saved from the landslide-hit areas of Wayanad district. As per the CM, the scenes in the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of the district were devastating. "These areas have been completely destroyed," he said. 


• He also said that efforts to rescue as many people as possible from the disaster zone are progressing well. Tiny makeshift bridges were erected over swollen rivers, and excavators were engaged non-stop in removing piles of debris and boulders as rescue missions continued in the landslide-hit hamlets of Wayanad.   


• Rescue personnel from the Army, NDRF, state emergency services personnel, and local people fought against the adverse weather conditions and tough terrain to look for people who might be trapped under the debris of destroyed homes, mud, and rocks. In the two-day rescue operation, 1,592 people were rescued. 


• A war of words began after Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Rajya Sabha that the Centre had alerted the Kerala government on July 23, warning of possible danger in and around Wayanad. "Everyone is questioning the government, but I would like to ask what did the Kerala government do. It was a vulnerable situation, but why the people were not shifted to safer places? They were only shifted after the disaster," he said.

• CM Vijayan refuted the claim but sought to play down the issue, saying it was no time for a blame game. Speaking to the media in Kerala, Vijayan stressed that the need of the hour is not to engage in a blame game, while terming parts of what the Union Home Minister said as true and parts as untrue. "I do not wish to engage in a blame game now as the people in Wayanad are going through untold misery on account of the massive landslide, but the fact of the matter is that there were predictions that came out and they never mentioned a red alert in the affected area. In fact, the red alert came on Tuesday at 6 a.m., when the tragedy occurred several hours before," he said.

• "The IMD had predicted rains to the tune of 115 mm to 204 mm rains at the affected areas, but actually in the first 24 hours, there was 200 mm and in the next 24 hours, 372 mm rains came down making it a staggering 572 mm in 48 hours, much more than predicted. So with these being the facts, I wish to state, that this is not the time for wrangling," he added.


• The Chief Minister also said that there was no prediction of landslides from the Geological Survey of India and when these came, the tragedy had already taken place. "Then there was an alert from the Central Water Commission and it said that from July 23 to 29, not for one single day ... of the two rivers which got swollen, there was no mention at all. What was said in the Parliament is not true," he said, adding that there was a mention that the NDRF was sent early, but the fact is we asked for it.


• 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, according to Vijayan.


• 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 with mud in the landslides. Additionally, the Air Force is carrying out aerial reconnaissance of the affected areas to coordinate search and rescue operations and is using helicopters to airlift people stranded in various places in the landslide-affected areas.

• In Mundakkai, which was cut off from the rest of the district, makeshift bridges and pulleys were erected over gushing rivers to transport people stranded there to safety and shift bodies recovered from destroyed homes to ambulances. As the majority of houses were flattened, rescuers broke open the roofs using hammers and pickaxes, as heavy machinery could not be brought there due to lack of proper roads or bridges, to enter the collapsed structures and search for any people trapped inside.   


• The CM said that efforts were on to bring materials to build a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge to connect the worst-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala and intensify rescue operations there.  The bridge will be constructed by Thursday. 


• Vijayan also called upon everyone to contribute to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) in order to help those affected by the landslides.