Wayanad’s Landslide Tragedy Claims 143 Lives, Rescue Ops in Full Swing

Wayanad Landslide: The State Health Department has confirmed at least 143 deaths from the devastating landslide in Wayanad. On Tuesday, tragedy struck the Chooralmala area in the district, leaving several people injured and many more trapped. Rescue and relief operations are still underway as authorities try to grapple with the massive crisis caused by the landslide.

Destructive Landslides Strike Wayanad

The calamity, which began with landslides at 2 a.m. and 4:10 a.m. on July 30, has left houses and other infrastructure in tatters. The roads have been obliterated, the trees uprooted, and the local water bodies have overflowed, muddying the rescue efforts. A number of areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala, have been isolated, and the Vellarmala GVH School has been buried under the debris of destruction.

The Kerala government declared a two-day mourning period with the national flag flying half-mast at the state Legislature. Union Minister George Kurian reached Wayanad to oversee the ongoing relief efforts. He met senior officials from NDRF, CRPF, and Army and visited a relief camp in Kalpetta late on Tuesday.

Union Minister George Kurian Assesses Relief Operations in Wayanad

"Reached Wayanad hit by a massive landslide and took stock of relief ops. Interacted with senior officials of NDRF, CRPF and Army officials. Visited a relief camp at Kalpetta at 11 pm," Kurian wrote in a post on X.

NDRF Commander Akhilesh Kumar has said "We rescued injured victims from Mundakkai village yesterday. We fear victims might be trapped in collapsed buildings... Till 10 pm last night, we rescued 70 people, after which we had to stop because of bad weather and rain... Since many teams are working, we cannot give an exact number of deaths, because we only know about the dead bodies our team has recovered... People have been given shelter in a resort and a mosque on the other side of the river. Since rainfall is going on, there are chances of another landslide."

Heavy Rainfall and Strong Winds Predicted for Kerala Amid Ongoing Crisis

The weather department has predicted heavy rainfall for August 2. Additionally, it said, "Strong surface winds with speeds reaching 30-40 gusting to 50 kmph are likely to prevail occasionally over Kerala on July 30 and 31."

The Health Minister, Veena George, who was on her way to Wayanad, met with a minor accident near Manjeri in Malappuram district. She and her staff did not suffer any serious injuries. Minister George is presently under treatment at the Manjeri Medical College and has been actively involved in coordinating the response of the state to the disaster. She has ordered the Health Department to monitor the availability of beds in hospitals closely and to establish temporary hospitals if need be. Mobile mortuaries have been suggested to deal with the enhanced number of deaths.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Calls Emergency Meeting to Accelerate Rescue Efforts

A high-level meeting was called by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan late Tuesday to help expedite rescue operations. At the Kerala SDMA office, the meeting was regarding how to enhance coordination with central agencies and forces handling the crisis. The government shall support, provide resources to the affected, and ensure the speedy restoration of normalcy in the affected areas.