[Watch] Wayanad Landslides Toll Climbs To 244, Hundreds Still Trapped

Wayanad: The toll in the multiple landslides in Wayanad district in Kerala rose to 244 on Wednesday, according to Malayala Manorama.

Hundreds of others are injured and several still trapped.

Massive destruction to houses and roads was caused in the three landslides that struck Wayanad on Tuesday. Several trees were uprooted. Efforts to rescue and locate the missing persons are still on. The Indian Army has intensified the rescue operations. Around 1,000 people have also been shifted to safe places.

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The report further stated that bodies of 89 victims have been identified so far. Postmortem procedures of 143 dead bodies were also completed and 32 among those handed over to their relatives on Tuesday. Many were feared trapped under the debris. Several injured were taken to WIMS Hospital in Meppadi.

According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), members of the fire and rescue, civil defence, NDRF, and local emergency response teams are involved in the rescue operations. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode are also at the site, stated a Hindustan Times report. Two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17 and an ALH, are also coordinating the rescue operations.

All educational institutions closed

All educational institutions will remain closed on July 31. A holiday has also been declared in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta, reported local media.

Orange alert for Wayanad

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert in Wayanad and neighbouring districts. The region is likely to get heavy-to-very heavy rainfall on July 31 and August 1. The weather department has also predicted heavy rainfall for August 2.

Know what victims are saying

Even as rescue operations are underway, victims recounted the horror. A middle-aged woman, who used to stay alone at her home, shared the experience in an interview with ANI. “At night I felt like my bed is shaking and heard loud noises…I tried to call my neighbours but nobody picked up the phone…I called my son who stays in Coimbatore and he asked me to climb on top of the house and stay there. I couldn’t open the door as it was jammed. I yelled for help…after sometime people came and broke the door with an axe and rescued me…when the second landslide came, my house also got swept away. My relatives stayed in Mundakkai. They all died, 2 of their bodies have been recovered, rest 6-7 are missing,” she said. Now, she is homeless.

‘Most people still in shock’

A doctor working in the relief camps, Hasna, said: “Most people are having issues like headaches, high BP, mainly because of stress. We are giving them medicines…people are in shock so for the first 3 days, we can’t do much, we will do the further treatment once they become normal.”