The two massive landslides that washed away Mundakkai and Chooramala areas of Vellarimala village took place under Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad…reports Asian Lite News
The death toll in the Wayanad landslides tragedy climbed to 116 as of July 30 evening. According to Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the postmortem of 116 bodies has been completed.
The two massive landslides that washed away Mundakkai and Chooramala areas of Vellarimala village took place under Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad on Tuesday morning. The landslides destroyed several houses, uprooted trees and made water bodies swell, hampering the rescue work.
Meanwhile, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), “Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places in Kerala on July 31 and August 1.”‘ The weather department has predicted heavy rainfall for August 2.
Additionally, it said, “Strong surface winds with speeds reaching 30-40 gusting to 50 kmph are likely to prevail occasionally over Kerala on July 30 and 31.”
Earlier, the death toll in the landslides was reported at 108. As many as 128 individuals were reported to be injured after the massive landslides hit the hilly areas of Wayanad. The injured have been receiving treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad. Rescue operations are ongoing in the affected areas.
Efforts are underway to locate missing persons and continue with all available resources. The first landslide occurred at 2 AM today, followed by another at 4:10 AM, causing immense damage to homes and livelihoods. Many areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, have been isolated, and roads have been washed away. The Vellarmala GVH School was completely buried.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose have expressed their condolences and offered assistance in the incident.
A high-level meeting was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday to coordinate rescue operations in the landslide-hit Meppadi areas of Wayanad and discuss further steps on it.
In the meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the rescue operations.The Chief Minister also reviewed the coordination with the central government agencies, the deployment of disaster response forces, health and safety precautions and the facilities in the relief camps.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the Wayanad landslide incident on Tuesday and said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations.
Addressing the press conference, Vijayan said, “The landslide in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. There was extremely heavy rainfall. An entire area has been wiped out. We have recovered 93 bodies so far, but the numbers may change. There are 128 people receiving treatment for injuries. Many who went to sleep last night have been swept away.
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Defence forces move in
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In the wake of the devastating landslide in Kerala’s Wayanad district, the Indian Army launched extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to aid the affected communities, which included Control Centre Establishment, air effort by the Indian Air Force among others.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that 93 bodies have been recovered and 128 people have been injured after massive landslides hit hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala’s Wayanad district. He further said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations.
Under the Initial Response and Mobilization, the Indian Army had been engaged in the rescue operations since 10.30 am. However, they had received the assistance request at around 4.30 am in the morning. Earlier, two HADR columns from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre from Kannur and two HADR teams from the 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode were deployed. Two HADR teams (strength 2-2-40) and one medical team (strength 1-0-3) reached Muppidi, Wayanad at 12.30 pm.
Under the Engineering and additional resources, the state government had requested the deployment of a 690 feet bailey bridge. Currently, up to 330 ft of the bridge is being moved from the Madras Engineer Group (MEG) Centre, Bangalore, by road. The remaining parts are being airlifted from Delhi Cantonment. Two additional columns from the 91 Infantry Brigade in Trivandrum are on standby and will be airlifted by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Also, a Control Centre is being established in Kozhikode under the Commandant of the Para Regimental Training Centre, Brigadier Arjun Segan. This centre will coordinate all HADR efforts on the ground.
The teams from the 122 TA Battalion actively assisted the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in rescue operations and damage assessments. The Indian Army coordinated closely with state authorities to ensure swift and effective relief efforts.
Three 110-feet Bailey bridges and three JCBs also departed from Bengaluru. One 110-feet Bailey Bridge airlifted from Delhi, and additional engineering resources will be mobilized based on assessments by the Engineer Recce Team.