The relief and rescue operations in landslides-hit Wayanad entered day seven on Monday, with the Kerala government initiating steps to identify the missing people by collecting the blood samples of survivors and relatives for DNA analysis. As per latest reports, the death toll from the massive landslides that occurred on July 30 in Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha areas of Wayanad has crossed 380, while nearly 180 people remain missing.
Neethu Jojo, a woman staff of a private hospital in Wayanad, who was probably one of the first to alert the emergency services about the devastating landslide, also reportedly died even before rescuers could reach her. As per a report by news agency PTI, the ambulances and the first responders were unable to reach Neethu as the Chooralmala bridge had washed away in the landslide. However, her husband Jojo, their toddler and Jojo's mother survived the disaster.
A recording of Neethu's call seeking help for herself and a couple of other families who were trapped in her house after the first wave of the devastating landslide hit Chooralmala, has gone viral. In the recording, she could be heard narrating the details of the horror they faced in the early morning of July 30 when the first wave of landslide hit her house.
As per a report by The Republic, the bodies of over 400 people have been recovered, with the death toll expected to rise further. However, at official figure stands at 381. According to State Revenue Minister K Rajan, till date, 221 bodies and 166 body parts have been recovered. He said that the number of missing persons has gone down to 180 from the earlier 206 after authorities were able to get in touch with some of them over the phone.
To identify the missing people in the landslide, the health department of the Kerala government has begun collecting blood samples for DNA analysis, the Civil Supplies Department has started collecting the details of ration cards, the Aadhaar number, and linked phone numbers to match with the dead bodies and body parts which are yet to be identified
The samples, from the blood relatives, are also being collected for DNA testing in order to identify the dead bodies and body parts which are yet to be identified. "In the first phase, DNA samples from unidentified bodies were collected. The samples of the survivors and the relatives will be compared with those collected from the unidentified bodies," the health department said in a release.
Search operations also continued along the Chaliyar River that flows through Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode. The river has become a haunting symbol of destruction after the bodies of those who died in the Wayanad landslides washed up on its banks.