Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are in Wayanad to visit the landslide-affected areas and meet people who have been injured and lost their homes in the calamity. Addressing the media after an all-party meeting on the issue on Thursday (August 1), Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the rescue mission in landslides-hit Mundakkai region might take some more days and that a cabinet sub-committee comprising four ministers has been appointed to coordinate the rescue efforts. The four ministers –Revenue Minister K Rajan, Forest Minister AK Saseendran, PWD and Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas, and SC/ST Department Minister O R Kelu – will camp in the district. The chief minister said the rescue attempt is not something that will be over in a few days. "This rescue attempt is not something which can be resolved in a short period of time. As of now, 12 ministers are camping in Wayanad. Now the all-party meeting has decided that four ministers will camp here to coordinate the rescue operations," Vijayan said. Vijayan said while it was initially difficult to begin the search operations due to the massive accumulation of soil, now that the Army is completing the construction of the Bailey Bridge, the mission will be easier. The construction of a Bailey bridge to connect the landslide-hit areas, where several people are believed to be stranded, alongside the deployment of sniffer dogs and over 1,000 rescuers from Central and state emergency response teams conducting massive search operations, constitutes one of the largest rescue efforts in Wayanad. Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children. Follow our Live updates below:
Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are in Wayanad to visit the landslide-affected areas and meet people who have been injured and lost their homes in the calamity. Addressing the media after an all-party meeting on the issue on Thursday (August 1), Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the rescue mission in landslides-hit Mundakkai region might take some more days and that a cabinet sub-committee comprising four ministers has been appointed to coordinate the rescue efforts. The four ministers –Revenue Minister K Rajan, Forest Minister AK Saseendran, PWD and Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas, and SC/ST Department Minister O R Kelu – will camp in the district. The chief minister said the rescue attempt is not something that will be over in a few days. "This rescue attempt is not something which can be resolved in a short period of time. As of now, 12 ministers are camping in Wayanad. Now the all-party meeting has decided that four ministers will camp here to coordinate the rescue operations," Vijayan said. Vijayan said while it was initially difficult to begin the search operations due to the massive accumulation of soil, now that the Army is completing the construction of the Bailey Bridge, the mission will be easier. The construction of a Bailey bridge to connect the landslide-hit areas, where several people are believed to be stranded, alongside the deployment of sniffer dogs and over 1,000 rescuers from Central and state emergency response teams conducting massive search operations, constitutes one of the largest rescue efforts in Wayanad. Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children. Follow our Live updates below: