• Tuesday, February 11, 2025

HEADLINE STORY

Kerala landslide toll crosses 200

Several people remain missing and rescue operators are battling adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings

Officials during a rescue operation at a landslide-hit area at Mundakkai, in Wayanad district, Friday, August 2, 2024. (PTI Photo)

By: Shajil Kumar

AS MANY as 201 people have died and 264 were injured in the massive landslides that hit Wayanad district three days ago, the Kerala Health Department said on Friday.

According to the figures released by the department, 201 bodies, including that of 82 women and 28 children, were recovered.

Additionally, 130 body parts were also recovered, it said.

So far, 327 autopsies, including that of body parts, have been performed, the department said, adding that 116 bodies were handed over to relatives.

Besides that, 264 people were injured in the disaster and of them 176 have been discharged, two have been referred to other hospitals and 86 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the district, the department said.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George, in a Facebook post, said that ICUs have been prepared in government hospitals in Wayanad for the treatment of those seriously injured in the landslides.

She also said that genetic samples have been taken from the 130 body parts recovered so far.

Earlier in the day, Wayanad District Collector Meghashree D R said that they were in the process of identifying the body parts through genetic testing.

Kerala ADGP M R Ajith Kumar said, in the morning, that approximately 300 people were still missing.

The district administration had also said that 9,328 people have been relocated to 91 relief camps in Wayanad.

Several people remain missing and rescue operators are battling adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings looking for survivors or bodies.

Around 8,000 people were taking shelter at emergency camps around the disaster site in Wayanad district.

Veena George said relief workers in the camps were counselling traumatised survivors and cremating dead animals in an effort to prevent disease outbreaks.

Search operations

The search and rescue operations by 40 teams that got underway early Friday received an impetus due to the completion of the 190-foot-long Bailey bridge by the army.

The structure will enable the movement of heavy machinery, including excavators, and ambulances to the worst-affected Mundakkai and Chooralmala hamlets.

A defence source said columns with dog squads commenced search operations at 7 am. Search operations were planned based on local interest.

Officials said the 40 teams are conducting search operations in six zones of the landslides-hit areas.

The joint teams include personnel from the Army, NDRF, DSG, Coast Guard, Navy, and MEG along with three locals and one forest department employee.

In addition to this, a three-pronged search operation has also been launched, focusing on the Chaliyar river.

The eight police stations, along the 40-km stretch of Chaliyar, have joined forces with local swimming experts to search the river for bodies that may have flown downstream or trapped along the riverbanks.

Simultaneously, another search operation is being conducted using a police helicopter.

Besides this, the Coast Guard, Navy, and Forest Department also jointly conducted a search operation focusing on the riverbanks and areas where bodies may be trapped.

The District Collector said GPS coordinates from aerial drone pictures and cell phones, including the last location of people who lived in the landslide-hit areas, have been used to identify spots where search and rescue operations can be focused.

She also said that aerial photographs taken by drones have helped identify GPS coordinates of specific search locations.

“We mapped these data and gave it to all the teams so that the search and rescue operations can proceed efficiently and speedily,” the Collector said.

According to official sources, the extent of human loss will emerge when rescuers clear houses covered by debris and wooden logs using heavy machinery.

Family rescued

Meanwhile, the rescue workers on Friday found a family of four isolated in an area near Padavetti Kunnu.

The family – comprising two males and as many females, was isolated after the landslide cut off their house from the rest of the region.

A Defence PRO said the family will be airlifted.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan, a day ago, had said a drone-based radar from Delhi would arrive on Saturday to locate bodies buried in the mud.

He also said that currently, six dogs are assisting in the search operation and four more will join from Tamil Nadu.

Tea seller’s gesture

Amidst the despair, an elderly tea stall owner from Kollam, Subaida, has exemplified the expression of humanity. She selflessly donated her meagre earnings and welfare pension to help those who lost everything in the devastating landslides that hit Wayanad.

Hailing from Pallithottam in Kollam district, Subaida runs a small tea shop to make ends meet for herself and her husband. She donated Rs 10,000 to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF).

The amount comprises her small earnings from the tea stall and the welfare pensions received by the couple.

“I had withdrawn the amount from the bank a few days ago to repay the interest on a loan. But then we saw on TV that contributions were being sought from everyone to help those who lost everything in the Wayanad landslides.

“My husband immediately asked me to go and give the money to the Collector. He said the interest payments could wait, as giving aid was more important. So, I went and deposited the money at the collectorate here. I cannot go to Wayanad and help out in person,” she said. (Agencies)

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