Wayanad landslides LIVE | Toll rises to 243; Kerala CM slams Amit Shah on warning claims

As rains continued to lash various parts of Wayanad, the authorities on Wednesday directed people living in landslide-prone areas of the hill district to move to safer places at the earliest.

People living in landslide-prone areas and in places that have experienced landslides in previous years should be cautious, district Collector D R Meghasree said.

In a statement, she mentioned places like Kurumbalakotta, Lakkidi, Manikunnumala, Sugandhagiri, and so on, and urged people there to exercise extra vigil.

The Collector also informed that those who have been asked to move to the camps should shift from their residence at the earliest.

Secretaries of the local self-government bodies and village officers should take the necessary steps in this regard, the official added.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Wayanad on Thursday and meet several families affected by the natural calamity, sources said.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were scheduled to visit Wayanad Wednesday morning but they put off the visit as authorities informed them that they would not be able to land due to incessant rain and adverse weather conditions.

Congress sources said the two leaders would visit relief camps at the Government Higher Secondary School and St Joseph UP School, Meppadi. They would also visit Dr Moopen’s Medical College, Meppadi.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He stated that what he said was not based on facts. The alert sounded by the IMD was Yello and Orange coded

The forecast we got about the landslide from the center was worded 'low possibility of landslides', Vijayan said.

In the Rajya Sabha, Shah on Wednesday said the Centre had sent multiple advance warnings, starting as early as July 23, to the Kerala government about possible floods and landslide and nine NDRF teams were rushed to the state the same day.

"There were accusations, whether in the absence of information or what I do not know but I need to specify here through the House to the entire nation. They kept saying early warning, early warning...I would like to specify that on July 23, the Kerala government was given an early warning by the central government," Shah asserted.

He further said, "On July 23, seven days prior, then again on July 24, and July 25. On July 26 it was informed that there will be heavy rainfall of more than 20 centimeters, there is a possibility of a landslide, there could be a rush of mud and people could even die by getting buried beneath it."

Military personnel on Wednesday intensified search and rescue operations in Wayanad, where landslides have claimed more than 200 lives, with the Army saying that it has recovered around 70 bodies and rescued nearly 1,000 people so far.

Four columns from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre, Kannur, and 122 TA Battalion are conducting combined rescue operations along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state rescue teams, a senior Army official said.

Around 70 bodies have been recovered by the Army so far and approximately 1,000 people have been rescued, the official said.

Two Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) columns, including two medical teams, were airlifted from Trivandrum to Kozhikode by AN32 and C-130 aircraft. They arrived at Kozhikode airport late Tuesday night and stayed overnight, the Army said.

Movement of fuel and other administrative stores is planned by road, the officials said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of Kannadigas who died in landslides in Wayanad.

According to government sources, at least six people from the state are feared dead in Monday’s landslide.

"The death toll in Wayanad landslide continues to rise. This is a very deadly tragedy, the fact that Kannadigas lost their lives in this tragedy made it even more painful," the CM said in a post on ‘X’.

“The deceased Kannadigas will be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each. I pray that the soul of the deceased may rest in peace,” he said.

According to him, already two senior IAS officers of the state, National Disaster Response Force team and army teams are engaged in rescue work in Wayanad.

Also, Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad is being deputed to Wayanad to take charge of rescue and relief operation.

“Saving lives of the victims is our first priority and our government is working hard to bring the Kannadigas in distress safely to Karnataka,” Siddaramaiah added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the landslide situation in Kerala's Wayanad district, Union Minister George Kurian said.

Kurian, who visited the people affected by the landslide in Wayanad on Tuesday night, said that the central government has assured all possible assistance to the state for the rescue efforts of those affected by the tragedy.

"The situation is being monitored by the central government at the highest level. The Honourable Prime Minister is monitoring the situation and has deputed me to visit the affected areas.

"Both control rooms of the Ministry of Home Affairs are monitoring the situation 24x7 and providing all possible assistance to the state," he said.

Union home minister Amit Shah has rejected all allegations of failure of early warning system in the Wayanad landslide incident. Shah says Centre had passed on an early warning on July 23 to the Kerala government and subsequently almost daily warning were sent but went unheeded.

Shah said the Kerala government did not initiate any evacuation measures despite the early warnings.