Tag: WAYANAD

As per the State Health Ministry, the death toll stands at 308 as of August 2. 226 bodies and 181 body parts have been recovered so far and 180 people are still missing…reports Asian Lite News

Kerala ADGP (law and order) MR Ajith Kumar said on Tuesday that the rescue and search operations in connection with the landslides that claimed over 300 lives in Wayanad have entered the last stage.

Ajith Kumar said that most of the accessible land area has been covered and the next focus will be to search the inaccessible areas.

Wayanad’s Chooralmala and Mundakkai were hit by massive landslides on July 30 claiming over 300 lives and creating widespread property damage. The search operations have entered the eighth day today.

“Rescue and search operation is getting into the last phase now. Land area is almost covered except for the slushy area where there are around 50-100 metres of mud. The mission is to reach inaccessible areas, with forest officials acting as guides since they know the area well.

He said that the focus for today will be on riverside and valley areas.

The ADGP further said that the weather in the area is not favourable and during the previous search operations, local volunteers got stranded in inaccessible areas so these commandoes will be airdropped on specific locations.

“The team consists of trained commandos, specifically SOG commandos. We are planning to airdrop the team within 6 km of Soochipara Waterfalls. After searching the area, if any bodies are found, we plan to airlift them,” Ajith Kumar said.

As per the officials, a scanning mission focusing on the Chaliyar River will be conducted today by a special team on a helicopter.

As per the State Health Ministry, the death toll stands at 308 as of August 2. 226 bodies and 181 body parts have been recovered so far and 180 people are still missing.

The Environment Ministry sources earlier said that the Kerala government allegedly approved numerous projects in Wayanad over the past four years, including those related to non-coal mining, without conducting a thorough study of the district’s topography and geomorphology.

“A combination of factors, including a lack of adequate study of the topography and geomorphology and insufficient safeguards against human activities such as large-scale urbanisation and tourism, have made the region more prone to disasters, appearing to be exacerbated by human impact,” the sources said.

Scientists from the state and beyond attributed the disaster to a deadly mix of forest cover loss, mining in the fragile terrain and climate change.

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Mass burial

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A week after the massive landslides, Wayanad district administration on Monday organized a mass burial ceremony in which the body parts of unidentified victims killed in the disaster were buried in the Puthumala region of the district.

A prayer of all religions was also conducted before the burial ceremony. The event started at around 3 pm.

Kerala Minister K N Balagopal said, “We cannot give an exact number of missing body parts… There is a mass burial going on for unidentified bodies.” Puthumala is a village close to Chooralmala. In 2019, Puthumala also witnessed a landslide. Meanwhile, the rescue and relief operations in landslide-hit areas of Kerala’s Wayanad entered the seventh consecutive day on Monday.

As per the State Health Ministry, the death toll stands at 308 as of August 2. A total of 53 camps have been set up in Wayanad as part of the relief operations. As per the latest update, 6759 people were shifted to these camps across the district including 1983 families, 2501 males, 2677 females, 1581 children, and 20 pregnant women.

The government has set up 16 camps in Meppadi and other gram panchayats, this includes 9 shelters and 7 rescue camps. A total of 2514 people have been shifted to these shelters as per the latest data. This included 723 families, 943 males, 972 females, 599 children, and six pregnant women.

Additionally, there are rescue camps at SDMLP school, D-Paul public school at Kalpetta, RCLP school at Chundel, GHS school near Rippon, WMO college at Muttil, Rippon new building, and Arappatta.

Earlier the Chief Minister’s Office informed that night patrolling of the police has been instituted in Chooralmala and Mundakkai areas.

The CMO statement warned action against those trespassing in the houses or areas of the victims at night. No one should enter the houses or areas of these places at night without the permission of the police for rescue operations, the statement added.

Upon the Kerala Government’s request, the Indian Air Force, on August 3, airlifted one ZAWER and four REECO radars from Siachen and Delhi for the search operations. 

ALSO READ-Wayanad Disaster: Search Continues, 387 Dead

Tuesday’s disaster is the worst incident in Kerala since the 2018 floods, which killed nearly 500 people and was termed the state’s ‘flood of the century’…reports Asian Lite News

The death toll from a series of landslides that struck Wayanad on Tuesday has risen to over 173, however, the unofficial toll stands at 250 with at least 191 people reported missing. Hundreds have been injured, and thousands have been displaced.

With hundreds trapped under the debris and fears of more deaths, rescue agencies resumed operations early on Wednesday to locate the remaining survivors. Construction of a bridge on the Meepadi-Choormala Road is under progress, including the induction of certain earthmoving equipment to the other side of the stream utilising air effort.

Military personnel intensified search and rescue operations, with the Army saying that it has rescued nearly 1,000 people. Multiple agencies are working together to provide critical assistance to those affected.

Harrowing scenes of dead bodies in sitting and lying positions inside destroyed houses could be seen as rescue operations resumed in the landslide-devastated Mundakkai hamlet. The rescuers could reach many inland areas, which were totally cut off, on Wednesday morning only.

A Defence spokesperson said that soldiers of the 122 Infantry Battalion of the Territorial Army, camped at a local school in Meppadi, moved out to the calamity-hit areas.

Meanwhile, several companies of the army moved from Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru to Calicut by road and air, a Defence statement said.

The army companies included those experienced in disaster relief, medical teams, ambulances, and other equipment, it said. Fears of mounting fatalities have been sparked by apprehensions that several people may still be trapped under the debris.

Notably, massive landslides caused by heavy rains hit the villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha early Tuesday, destroying several houses, swelling water bodies, uprooting trees, and wiping entire villages off the map.

Heart-wrenching scenes and phone conversations of people crying and pleading to be rescued, trapped in their houses, or stranded were seen after the landslides left a trail of death and destruction in the hill district. Most of the victims were asleep when the landslides struck between 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Huge boulders and uprooted trees rushed down from Mundakkai to Chooralmala, causing severe damage. The heavy water surge from the hilltop altered the small Iruvazhinji river, flooding everything along its banks. Several houses were destroyed, a temple and a mosque were submerged, and a school building was severely damaged.

A special team at the District Emergency Operation Centre is compiling data on the number of people residing in the area, those found after the landslide, and the number of persons missing, a district administration official told reporters early Wednesday. The official said data on individuals is being collected by reviewing ration card details and other government documents.

As many as 45 relief camps have been established in Wayanad, accommodating 3,069 people. Meanwhile, an orange alert has been issued for the districts of Wayanad, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod due to extremely heavy rainfall.

Aerial view of Chooralmala in Kerala’s Wayanad district where a landslide wreaked havoc.

Wayanad, a hill district in northern Kerala, is known for its lush green forests, rolling hills, and sparkling waterfalls. With a population of about 8,17,000 people (as of the 2011 census), it is home to various cultures, including the indigenous tribal communities.

Tuesday’s disaster is the worst incident in Kerala since the 2018 floods, which killed nearly 500 people and was termed the state’s ‘flood of the century.’

A high-level meeting at the Wayanad Collectorate decided to set up a medical point and oxygen ambulance at the control room at the landslide-hit Chooralmala. A senior officer will be in charge of the control room. Doctors and other health workers will be pooled in from four cooperative hospitals in Kozhikode and Thalassery.

A health team will be deployed at the newly constructed temporary bridge. Drinking water facility will be arranged for the rescued people. Lighting will be ensured at Chooralmala.

The meeting was attended by Revenue Minister K Rajan, ministers Mohammed Riyas, AK Saseendran, V Abdurahiman, K Krishnankutty, GR Anil, Ramachandran Kadannappally, OR Kelu and special officer to coordinate disaster management activities Seeram Sambasiva Rao.

Powerlines were restored upto the Chooralmala telephone exchange and Chooralmala town, the KSEB has informed. The board suffered losses to the tune of Rs 3 crore at Chooralmala and Mundakkai, according to preliminary estimates. 3.5 km high tension lines and 8 km low tension lines under the Meppadi electrical section were fully damaged.

Connection disrupted at about 1000 households. Two teams led by sub-engineers have been deployed for restoration activities. Uninterrupted power supply has been ensured to the Meppadi Government Hospital and WIMS Hospital.

ALSO READ-Wayanad landslide death toll climbs to 116