Wayanad landslides LIVE | Kerala CM: We will build a new, safer township for survivors
Boulders and logs brought by landslides and deposited in the residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala are posing a significant challenge to rescue efforts to locate people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble
Search operations started early Saturday with more than 1,300 rescuers, heavy machinery and sophisticated equipment being deployed to look for survivors from the ravages of the landslides that have killed more than 300 people.
Private companies specialising in search and rescue and volunteers have also joined the operations led by the Army, police, and emergency service units.
However, huge boulders and logs brought by landslides and deposited in the residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala are posing a significant challenge to rescue efforts to locate people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Around 200 people are suspected to be missing and rescue operators are battling adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings.
The district administration had on Friday divided the landslide-hit areas into zones, mapped potential spots for rescue work by using GPS, took aerial photographs and cell phone location data.
They have also used ground penetrating radar and cadaver dog squads to look for bodies buried deep under the debris.
A large number of medical professionals, from the armed forces as well as civilians, and ambulances have been on stand by in the area to provide immediate aid if any survivors are found.
The July 30 landslides affected Mundakkai, Chooralmala, and Attamala villages in Vythiri taluka which do not figure in the draft notification.
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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.
Actor and Lt. Col.(Honorary) Mohanlal (right) of 122 TA (Madras) with others during his visit to a landslide-affected area, in Wayanad district, Saturday, August 3. Photo: PTI/Defence PRO
Department of Information and Public Relations (PRD) Control Room Update at 2 PM, August 3
Officially confirmed deaths: 218
Men: 98
Women: 90
Children: 30
Number of identified bodies: 152
Number of body parts found: 143
Number of post-mortem examinations conducted: 217
Number of body parts subjected to post-mortem: 143
Number of bodies handed over to district authorities: 62
Number of body parts handed over to district authorities: 87
Number of bodies received and handed over to relatives from Nilambur District Hospital: 33
Number of bodies handed over to relatives: 119
Number of people transferred from the disaster area to hospitals: 518
Number of people receiving treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts: 89
Number of people discharged from hospitals: 209
• So far, 215 bodies have been recovered: 87 women, 98 men, and 30 children. Of these, 148 bodies have been handed over, and 206 people are still missing. Identifying bodies from the Chaliyar River in Nilambur is proving difficult. Sixty-seven unidentified bodies have been found; panchayats with possible religious rites manage their burial.
•Currently, 81 injured individuals remain hospitalized, while 206 have been discharged to camps.
• 10,042 people are staying in 93 relief camps in Wayanad, and 1,707 are in 10 camps in Chooralmala.
• Search operations are continuing, involving 1,419 personnel from the Fire Force, NDRF, Forest Department, Police, Indian Army, and volunteers from Tamil Nadu. K-9 squads and the Tamil Nadu Medical Team are also participating. Advanced equipment like Human Rescue Radar and drone-based radar are being used
•The government plans a comprehensive rehabilitation process for the survivors, aiming for swift completion.
• A new, safer area will be identified for constructing a township. The Education Minister will visit Wayanad to ensure that children’s education is not disrupted.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday (August 3) announced that Karnataka will construct 100 houses for victims in landslide-hit Wayanad.
Taking to the social media platform X, Siddaramaiah said in light of the tragic landslide in Wayanad, Karnataka stands in solidarity with Kerala.
"I have assured CM Shri @pinarayivijayan of our support and announced that Karnataka will construct 100 houses for the victims. Together, we will rebuild and restore hope," he said.
As many as 215 people have died and over 500 were injured in the massive landslides that hit Wayanad district in the wee hours of July 30.
Around 300 people are suspected to be missing, and rescue operators are battling adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday (August 3) that search and rescue operations in disaster-hit Wayanad are in their final stages, but 206 people remain missing.
Addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said there is difficulty in identifying the dead bodies and parts recovered from the Chaliyar river.
"Till now, 215 bodies have been recovered, of which 87 are women, 98 are men, and 30 are children. As many as 148 bodies have been handed over so far. There are 206 people missing. Eighty-one people are injured and are under treatment in various hospitals," he said.
The chief minister said 67 bodies are yet to be identified, and the panchayats will do the last rites.
Referring to the rehabilitation efforts, Vijayan said a secure region will be identified, and a township will be constructed.
He said the education minister will visit the schools destroyed in the region, and the education department will take the necessary steps to ensure that the studies of the disaster-struck children will continue.
Well-known actor Mohanlal, who is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army, on Saturday (August 3) reached landslide-hit Wayanad, donning his army uniform and pledged ₹ three crore for the rehabilitation works of the disaster-hit region.
The actor, who reached the Army camp at Meppadi, held a brief discussion with the officers and left for the landslide-hit zone along with others.
He visited Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Punchirimattom, among other places, and interacted with the various rescue workers, including the Army and the locals, to get an understanding of the gravity of the incident.
Speaking to the media, Mohanlal said the magnitude of the disaster can only be understood by witnessing it firsthand.
"The magnitude of the landslide can only be comprehended by witnessing it firsthand. The Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the NDRF, the Fire and Rescue, the other organisations, locals etc. who all are part of the rescue operations have done a wonderful job," he said.
The actor said the 122 infantry battalion (TA) of the Indian Army, of which he is part, was among the first teams to reach the disaster-hit region.
"The Vishwashanthi Foundation, of which I am also a part, has decided to donate ₹ three crore for the rehabilitation works here. More funds will be made available if needed," the actor said.
The actor was conferred the Lt Colonel post in the territorial army in 2009.
Meanwhile, movie director Major Ravi, who accompanied Mohanlal, said the foundation will also rebuild the Mundakkai school, which was in ruins.
Acctor Mohanlal, who is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army, on Saturday reached the landslide-hit Wayanad donning his Army uniform.
The actor, who reached the Army camp at Meppadi, held a brief discussion with the officers and left for the landslide-hit zone along with others.
"We are going to the affected areas now," Mohanlal told the reporters here and left in an Army vehicle.
The actor was conferred the Lt Colonel post in the territorial army in 2009.
In a bid to locate people still believed to be trapped beneath the debris in landslide-ravaged villages, deep search radars will be deployed in the affected areas, a Defence PRO said on Saturday (August 3).
The Kerala government has requested the deployment of advanced radar equipment, including one Xaver radar and four Reeco radars, which will be airlifted from Delhi in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, along with their operators.
A massive rescue operation is currently underway in the affected villages in the Mundakkai region and along the Chaliyar river, where several bodies of victims have been recovered.
Expert teams from the armed forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and state emergency personnel are actively participating in the efforts.
The deployment of deep search radars is expected to enhance the effectiveness of the rescue operations and help locate any remaining individuals trapped beneath the debris.