Wayanad landslides LIVE | Toll rises to 243; Kerala CM slams Amit Shah on warning claims
Massive landslides triggered by heavy rain struck Wayanad on Tuesday while hundreds are still trapped beneath the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities
Search and rescue operations have begun for the second day at the landslide-ravaged sites of Kerala’s Wayanad district, as rescue agencies race against time to pull out any survivors.
Till 6 pm am on Wednesday (July 31), 243 people had been confirmed dead after massive landslides triggered by heavy rains struck the hilly and forested Wayanad early on Tuesday (July 30). Based on the number of post-mortems conducted, 123 deaths have been officially confirmed, and 75 bodies have been identified.
Hundreds are still trapped beneath the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities.
Rescue teams comprising the Army, Navy, and NDRF are collectively looking for survivors amid rough weather, and multiple agencies are working in tandem to provide critical assistance to those affected.
According to a senior government source, heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in hilly areas of Meppadi in the district. Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides.
The dead includes women and children. The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy.
In a bid to rapidly evacuate stranded persons, two Indian Air Force helicopters from Air Force Station Sulur have been dispatched to the affected area.
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Live Updates
- 31 July 2024 8:28 AM GMT
Have urged LS Speaker for discussion on Kerala situation: Cong MP KC Venugopal
#WATCH | Wayanad landslide | Congress MP KC Venugopal says, "There is no word to say about Wayanad tragedy. So many bodies have been found and a lot of people are missing...We need to put maximum strength from Central Government side, State Government side and all other State… pic.twitter.com/sLMqT3nOOE
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024 - 31 July 2024 8:25 AM GMT
IMD issues orange alert for 5 Kerala districts
IMD issues 'orange' alert in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts.
'Yellow' alert issued Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, and Palakkad.
No rain warnings for Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.
- 31 July 2024 8:24 AM GMT
#WATCH | Wayanad landslide | Based on the request from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the Southern Naval Command dispatched a disaster relief team of 68 personnel from INS Zamorin at Ezhimala to the landslide-affected site at 1430 hours on 30th July. The… pic.twitter.com/wSwV4bUvrx
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024 - 31 July 2024 7:49 AM GMT
Recovered about 70 bodies, rescued nearly 1,000 people: Army
Military personnel on Wednesday (July 31) intensified search and rescue operations in Kerala's Wayanad district, where landslides have claimed more than 100 lives, with the Army saying that it has recovered around 70 bodies so far and rescued nearly 1,000 people.
Extremely heavy rain triggered the landslides in the hilly areas of Wayanad early Tuesday (July 30), leaving at least 132 people dead and more than 200 injured.
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.
Brig Arjun Seagan, Commandant of the PARA Regiment Training Centre, arrived with his team late on Tuesday night. They conducted a reconnaissance of a potential bridge site and established a control centre for coordinating the Army's HADR efforts, supported by the commandant of the DSC Centre, they said.
Heavy engineering equipment and rescue dog teams were airlifted and disaster relief teams were dispatched by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday.
The state government has requested the deployment of a 690-feet Bailey bridge. Currently, up to 330 feet of the bridge is being moved from the Madras Engineer Group Centre, Bengaluru, by road. The remaining parts are being airlifted from Delhi Cantonment, the Army had said late on Tuesday.
The Indian Army is coordinating closely with state authorities to ensure swift and effective relief efforts, officials added.
"Construction of a bridge on the Meepadi-Chooralmala Road will commence, including the induction of certain earthmoving equipment to the other side of the stream utilising air effort," the Army said on Wednesday (July 31).
