Wayanad: 144, counting | Landslides sweep several villages in Kerala district; toll may rise

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 45 camps have been set up in the district and over 3,000 people have been rehabilitated there.
With landslides affecting several villages, such as Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha, and the rain showing no sign of stopping, authorities raced against time to rescue those who may still be trapped. While the Army has deployed 200 soldiers from the Defence Security Corps and a medical team to assist with the operations, two helicopters from the Air Force Station in Sulur were also dispatched to the district. The Army has also called in equipment from Bengaluru to clear the debris.

Additionally, the Army’s canine squad, which has breeds such as Belgian Malinois, Labradors, and German Shepherds — capable of smelling human remains or the faintest of breath under mud — will also join the rescue operations. The decision follows a special request by Vijayan.

At the site of the disaster, entire homes, shops and vehicles were buried deep under the mud and debris.

A bridge near Chooralmala, leading to Mundakkai, was washed away, further complicating rescue efforts. According to officials, around 120 people had sought asylum in a resort after the first landslide.

While Mundakkai was the epicentre, the debris was deposited six kilometres down the hills, in Chooralmala, where massive destruction was reported.

Desperate residents could be seen scrambling to find their loved ones — under the mud as well as at the hospitals. Some made frantic phone calls, while others could be seen digging through the debris.

At a congested health centre in Meppadi, bodies were kept in a row on the floor.

According to some villagers who managed to escape, there was a minor landslide at the top of the hill during the day on Sunday. A few families that were shifted to a relief camp at Chooralmala escaped the carnage that followed early Tuesday. A resident, Dolly, who lost five relatives, said authorities ought to have relocated more people.

A statement from the Southern Command said, “Based on a requisition received from Kerala Government this morning for rescue of people stranded in a major landslide… two rescue columns of Indian Army with a strength of approximately 200 soldiers from Defence Security Corps Centre, Kannur, along with a medical team from Military Hospital Kannur and troops from the Territorial Army from Kozhikode have been deployed.”

Rescue operation underway after a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains, in Wayanad district, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (PTI)

Expressing grief over the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the families of each deceased, along with Rs 50,000 for the injured. Making a statement in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the PM is keeping a close watch on the situation.

Addressing Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi urged the Union Government to provide all necessary support. He also highlighted the alarming rise in landslides in Wayanad and the Western Ghats, emphasising the need for immediate mapping of landslide-prone areas and measures to mitigate such natural disasters.