PM condoles loss of lives due to landslides in parts of Wayanad
Wayanad, July 30 :
Major landslides struck Meppadi, Mundakkai Town and Chooral Mala here in the early hours of Tuesday killing at least 106 people, making it the biggest natural disaster to hit the state. More than 125 people are under treatment in various hospitals. As per figures released by the state government, 98 people have gone missing due to the landslides.
The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai Town at around 1 am during heavy rain. While the rescue operations were ongoing, a second landslide struck near Chooralmala School at around 4 am. The school, functioning as a camp, and nearby houses and shops were flooded with water and mud.
A team of NDRF and Army personnel crossed the river and reached Mundakkai after 13 hours of the disaster taking place. Mundakkai is 3.5 km from Chooral Mala. Those stranded will be brought to the riverside by jeep and taken across the river using a rope. On reaching safety, they will be moved to a hospital for medical examination. The 122 TA Batallion found 100 people from the Mundakkai village and commenced rescue ops.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a press conference, said that of the dead, 34 bodies were identified and 18 were handed over to families. The CM also said 16 bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar river at Pothukal village in the district. Besides that, body parts were also recovered by those carrying out search and rescue operations, he said.
He said that the initial landslide occurred around 2 am and the next one hit around 4.30 am, leaving hundreds trapped beneath the debris and many more being swept away. The landslides occurred when the villagers were sleeping, catching them off-guard and resulting in a high number of casualties, he said.
Many could be trapped inside or swept away, and we will continue rescue efforts, he said. He further said 45 camps have been set up in the district and around 3,069 people have been rehabilitated there.
The CM also appealed for contributions to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) to support those affected by the landslide and to help rebuild the impacted area.
It was reported that around 400 families were stranded in the region following the collapse of the bridge in Chooral Mala Town. This bridge is the only access to Attamala in Mundakkai, and its collapse has severely hampered rescue operations. Many people have been injured, and several vehicles have been washed away. The full extent of the damage remains unknown due to the power supply being cut off.
Discussions were held between the rescue team and the ministers who reached Chooral Mala in Wayanad regarding how to go about the mission. Minister
Wayanad landslides
K Rajan, PA Muhammed Riyas, OR Kelu and MLAs IC Balakrishnan and T Siddique were part of the discussion. All units, including the Army, NDRF and fire brigade, crossed the river using a rope/zipline.
The state government sought help of the military for rescue operations and a team from Wellington, the headquarters of Madras Regiment started for Wayanad. The District Collector, the Police Chief, and Kalpetta MLA T Siddique arrived at the site to coordinate rescue operations. The fire force and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are already on the scene, and an additional NDRF team is on its way to the area. Efforts are ongoing to rescue isolated individuals in the region. Five ministers reached Wayanad to coordinate the rescue mission.
Two helicopters from Sulur Air Force station were unable to land at the site. Two teams of Kannur defence security corps have also been directed to move to Wayanad, State Emergency operations centre said.
The ecologically sensitive regions including Meppadi, Vythiri and Vaduvanchal received torrential rain in the past 24 hours. Going by the data of the weather stations of Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology, which monitors the weather patterns in the region, more than 300 mm of rain was received at many places along the western Ghat region in the last 24 hours.
Control rooms opened
The state health department has opened control rooms in the wake of landslides in Wayanad. The numbers for emergency medical assistance are 8086010833 and 9656938689. Health Minister Veena George said that Vythiri, Mananthavadi, Kalpetta and Meppadi hospitals have been equipped for any kind of emergency. Health workers were deployed from Monday night and more health workers are being brought in , Health Minister said.