The massive landslides which struck Wayanad on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 173 people and left hundreds injured.
The Rescue operations in Kerala’s Wayanad were resumed on Thursday as the construction of a Bailey bridge to connect the landslide-hit areas, where several people are believed to be stranded, constituted one of the largest rescue efforts in the hill district, devastated by a deadly calamity.
The massive landslides which struck Wayanad on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 173 people and left hundreds injured. Indian Army, NDRF along with local emergency response departments continued their massive search and rescue operation to trace people feared to be trapped in the tragedy.
Following Are The Latest Updates:
-The Rescue teams resumed the rescue efforts on Thursday at several places in Wayanad which were hit by a series of massive landslides on Tuesday claiming the lives of at least 173 people and leaving hundreds injured. According to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, 191 are still missing
-Vijayan on Wednesday said that the coordinated and extensive rescue operations by the NDRF, Army, and other agencies ensured that over 1,500 people were saved from the landslide-hit areas of the hill district.
-Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra earlier on Thursday left for Wayanad to take stock of the situation of the rescue operation. Rahul was elected as an MP from the constituency in 2019 and in recently held Lok Sabha elections. In 2024, he resigned from Wayanad seat and chose to remain as MP from Rae Bareili seat.
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-Several world leaders, including Russia President Vladimir Putin expressed condolence and sorrow over the devastating landslides in the Kerala district. “Kindly accept the most sincere condolences over the tragic consequences of the landslides in Kerala. Please convey words of sympathy and support to the near and dear ones of the deceased as well as wishes for a speedy recovery of all injured,” said the Russian President in the letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu.
-Indian Army, NDRF along with local emergency response departments continued their massive search and rescue operation to trace people feared to be trapped in the tragedy.
-In Mundakkai, which was cut off from the rest of the district, makeshift bridges and pulleys were erected over gushing rivers to transport people stranded there to safety and shift bodies recovered from destroyed homes to ambulances. As the majority of houses were flattened, rescuers broke open the roofs using hammers and pickaxes, as heavy machinery could not be brought there due to lack of proper roads or bridges, to enter the collapsed structures and search for any people trapped inside.
-Seven districts in Kerala have announced a holiday for Thursday in wake of the devastation due the massive landslides triggered by torrential rains in Meppadi in the Wayanad district.
-Meanwhile, Vijayan refuted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the state was warned as early as July 23 about a potential natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains. Vijayan clarified that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had only issued an orange alert for the district prior to the landslides. However, Wayanad experienced over 500 millimeters of rainfall, far exceeding the IMD’s predictions.
-Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains struck the picturesque hamlets of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha in the early hours of Tuesday, killing over 170 people, including women and children.
(With inputs from agencies)
