Wayanad Landslides News Live Updates: Rescue ops continue on Day 6, Kerala govt plans ‘safe township’ for displaced families

Residents of landslide-devastated villages in Kerala's Wayanad district who were forced to flee their homes have reported thefts from their abandoned properties, prompting police to increase night patrols.

The displaced residents suspect that thieves might be taking advantage of the state's biggest humanitarian crisis to steal valuables.

Some of the affected people have urged the authorities to identify and punish those who enter the area at night with the intention of stealing.

"We are the ones who have lost everything in the tragedy," an affected person told reporters.

"We had abandoned our homes to ensure our safety during the landslide tragedy. But when we returned to check the state of our home after that, we found the doors broken open." He complained that thieves had even targeted their room in the resort where they are currently staying and stolen their clothes.

In a statement on Saturday evening, the authorities said that police patrols had been launched in the disaster-hit areas, including Chooralmala and Mundakkai. (PTI)

The Kerala government on Saturday announced free ration to the people of Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions of Wayanad district, which were hit by the devastating landslide on July 30.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil said the people at Mundakkai and Chooralmala will receive the August month ration for free.

Currently, the ration is being provided free of charge to priority categories and at a fair price to non-priority categories.

However, in the disaster-struck region, ration will be provided free of cost to all categories, he added.

The toll in the Wayanad landslides climbed to 218, the district administration said. (PTI)

The massive landslides that hit this north Kerala district did not just rip apart families, but also left many domestic animals ownerless, including livestock, who can be seen roaming in the disaster-stricken areas looking for food.

These homeless animals will now get a home thanks to the Animal Welfare Department, which has decided to hand them over to dairy farmers in the vicinity of the landslide-hit areas who are willing to take them, the district administration said in a statement.

The Animal Welfare Department, which is operating a 24-hour control room at Chooralmala -- one of the landslide-hit areas -- will accurately record the names of the dairy farmers to whom the animals will be handed over, the statement said.

Domestic animals and birds found alive or dead from the disaster-affected places, including Chooralmala and Mundakkai, will be brought to the control room and further action will be taken after that.

Presently, the ownerless animals are being provided food and water by NGOs and other volunteers, it said.

It also said that a day ago, two puppies recovered from the Chooralmala disaster site were handed over to the military and police special defense group. (PTI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is taking initiatives to bring back migrant labourers from the state, currently stranded in landslide-hit Wayanad district in Kerala, the Trinamool Congress said on Saturday.

In a post on X with the caption 'Didi aachen sakaler sange, sakaler pase (Didi is with everyone, remains on the side of everyone)', the ruling party in West Bengal said the state government is ensuring that the stranded workers get all the support.

"GoWB is ensuring that migrant workers stranded in landslide-hit Wayanad, Kerala receive all the support they need. Our Hon'ble CM @MamataOfficial is leading efforts to bring them safely back to Bengal. In their hour of need, we stand united and strong!," the TMC said.

State Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak informed the assembly on Friday that 242 migrant labourers from the state are stranded in the landslide-hit Wayanad district.

He said all of them are safe. (PTI)

The death toll in the Wayanad landslides increased to 218, the district administration said on Saturday.

The 218 dead include 90 women and 30 children, the administration said in a statement.

Of the 218 bodies recovered from the landslides-hit areas, 152 have been identified by relatives, it said.

It further said that 143 body parts have also been recovered till date.

The administration also said that autopsies of 217 bodies and 143 body parts have been performed and 119 remains were handed over to next of kin.

Besides these, 518 people were admitted to hospitals and of them 89 are undergoing treatment, the statement said. (PTI)

As the devastating landslides ravaged a hilly area of Wayanad, leaving a trail of destruction and chaos in their wake, a group of ham radio enthusiasts rose to the challenge, establishing a critical communication network that has helped save lives and facilitate rescue efforts.

The amateur radio system, set up by volunteer operators on the ground floor of the District Collector's office in Kalpetta, has been providing vital information to affected communities and authorities, facilitating rescue efforts and relief operations.

"The situation was dire, with mobile phone services available only to a very limited extent," an official release said here on Saturday.

"District Collector D R Meghashree reached out to the ham radio operators, and they have been instrumental in keeping the lines of communication open," it said.

Receivers, amplifiers, computers for logging and digital modulation, and other equipment are used to operate the station. Ham radio operators transmit information from the disaster area to the station through ham radio transmitters. A repeater setup at Ambalavayal Ponmudi Kotta facilitates ham radio communication.

The repeater was set up by the Sultan Bathery DX Association, a ham radio operators' organisation. (PTI)