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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Live Updates
- 2 Aug 2024 12:51 PM IST
#WATCH | On Wayanad landslide, Congress MP K Suresh says, " The situation is not good, the rescue operation is going in war footing level. Today also, they found so many bodies. 4 people were found alive under the debris of a house...The entire Congress is emotional about… pic.twitter.com/94FZAbRK9a
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024 - 2 Aug 2024 12:38 PM IST
Alerts were sounded on July 18 and 25: BJP leader Muraleedharan
#WATCH | Kerala: On the Wayanad landslide incident, BJP leader V Muraleedharan says, "We hope that when the relief operations progress, we will be able to save more lives...facts are there for everyone to verify, I have also the copies of warnings given on 18th and 25th July.… pic.twitter.com/eG0HT9dFTw
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024 - 2 Aug 2024 12:25 PM IST
4 rescued people to be shifted to base camp
Four people were rescued alive from Padavetti Kunnu, about a kilometre uphill from Mundakkai, after 80 hours. The group was stranded while trying to escape the mudslide and debris flow. The four survivors are John, Joemol, Abraham and Christy. The search and rescue team found them this morning. They are all set to be shifted to the base camp.
- 2 Aug 2024 11:25 AM IST
Wayanad landslide | Indian Army found 4 alive individuals - two males and two females - who were stranded in Padavetti Kunnu, Wayanad. The operation was carried out with precision and care, ensuring the safety of all individuals involved. A casualty evacuation was coordinated and…
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024 - 2 Aug 2024 11:03 AM IST
#WATCH | Wayanad Landslide | ADGP, Law & Order Kerala, MR Ajith Kumar says, "In the last four days we have been doing operations here. A joint team of the Indian army, the NDRF, the local police, special operations groups, the fire force, the Coast Guard and the Navy have been… pic.twitter.com/G19XhjpubZ
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024 - 2 Aug 2024 11:01 AM IST
Indian Air Force undertakes simultaneous HADR operations in Wayanad and Uttarakhand hills. Following the recent cloud burst incident in Uttarakhand, IAF Chinook and Mi-17V5 helicopters are positioned at Gaucher, actively deploying NDRF teams, relief material, and conducting… pic.twitter.com/pleBmWFWEa
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024 - 2 Aug 2024 10:54 AM IST
#WATCH | Kerala: Search and rescue operations continue at landslide-affected Chooralmala in Wayanad.
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024
Death toll stands at 308, as per Kerala Health Minister pic.twitter.com/wzaZrps7RT
