Indian Army personnel and other teams during a rescue operation in Wayanad, Kerala. (Indian Army photo via special arrangement.)
Wayanad/Thiruvananthapuram: The death toll in the devastating landslides that struck Wayanad district in Kerala early last week has sharply mounted on Friday. Torrential rains triggered multiple landslides in the Mundakkai region, burying entire villages and causing catastrophic loss of life and widespread destruction.
As of Friday, while the official death toll remains at 210, the unofficial death toll taking into account the figures cited by local health officials and authorities have touched 310. Hundreds more reported missing. The scale of the disaster is immense, with entire communities wiped out and infrastructure severely damaged.
Rescue teams are working tirelessly to locate survivors and recover bodies from the debris. Things became a little tense on Friday evening when rescuers said they found signs of life buried beneath the debris while using ground-penetrating radars. This comes a day after the Army said the chances of anyone still remaining alive beneath the debris was “negligible”.
I salute the courage of the selfless volunteers, policemen, Fire & Rescue, NDRF, army soldiers, government officials, and every person working tirelessly to provide relief to the victims of the Wayanad disaster.
— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) August 1, 2024
I am grateful for the efforts of my 122 Infantry Battalion, TA… pic.twitter.com/UgPI2w8KN7
Authorities are also carrying out extensive searches on and along the Chaliyar river, from where around 175 bodies and body parts have been recovered, so far. They are also using drones for searching the parts of the river that run through forest areas.
Talking to reporters, MR Ajithkumar, additional director general of police (law and order), informed that parts of the Chaliyar river that flows through the adjacent Malappuram and Kozhikode districts were being searched jointly by the local police and fire department personnel.
The Indian Army has been at the forefront of the rescue operations, deploying specialized teams and equipment to the affected areas. Army engineers have been working around the clock to clear roads, restore communication lines, and provide medical assistance. Helicopters have been pressed into service to airlift survivors and deliver essential supplies.
It has built a bailey bridge from Chooralmala to Mundakkai in double-quick time by Thursday evening to speed up and ease rescue operations and evacuations. Several more earthmovers have been pressed into rescue services in the region.
Kudos to Maj Seeta Shelke & her team of #MadrasEngineersGroup of #IndianArmy who went beyond all kind of challenges & built the 190ft long bridge with 24 Ton capacity in 16 hours in #Wayanad Started at 9 pm on 31 July & completed at 5:30 pm on 1 Aug. @giridhararamane #OPMADAD pic.twitter.com/QDa6yOt6Z2
— PRO Defence Trivandrum (@DefencePROTvm) August 1, 2024
The Indian Air Force has also been involved in the relief efforts, providing aerial support for rescue operations and dropping relief material in inaccessible areas.
Despite adverse climatic condition & poor visibility, the #IndianAirForce Helicopters conducted search & rescue operations in #Wayanad rescuing stranded people from narrow strip of land.@giridhararamane #WayanadLandslide pic.twitter.com/6YAxWRNlEa
— PRO Defence Trivandrum (@DefencePROTvm) July 30, 2024
The Indian Navy has put its assets on standby to assist as required. On Friday, it undertook aerial reconnaissance of affected area and airlifted 12 state police personnel along with their rescue equipment to the disaster area, which was inaccessible by road.
#WayanadLandslide
— Southern Naval Command (@IN_HQSNC) August 2, 2024
Continuing with the rescue & relief Ops #IndianNavy ALH of @IN_Garuda undertook aerial reconnaissance of affected area & airlifted 12 state police personnel along with rescue eqpt to the disaster area which was inaccessible by road. #Disasterrelief@indiannavy pic.twitter.com/V6VXtN1etg
Apart from the armed forces, the National Disaster Response Force and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority personnel are also in the forefront of rescue operations in the area. Working round the clock, they have rescued and moved thousands of people to safety, so far.
#NDRF and Sister Agencies fully Focused on the Wayanad landslide Site. Rescue operations continue #Wayanad #NDRF #RescueOperations @NDRFHQ @ndmaindia@PIBHomeAffairs @PIBTvpm @pibchennai pic.twitter.com/Dq24mt0CWg
— 04 Bn NDRF ARAKKONAM?? (@04NDRF) August 2, 2024
The Indian Coast Guard is also actively involved the rescue efforts in the area. They are helping the NDRF and other teams in rescuing, evacuating, and providing relief to the affected people in the Mundakkai region.
@IndiaCoastGuard is actively involved in disaster relief operations in Wayanad, working with State administration, @NDRFHQ, and other agencies. The ICG team has successfully assisted many stranded civilians, relocating them to safety. #RescueOperations #DisasterRelief #Wayanad pic.twitter.com/yXh7JcTw7W
— DD India (@DDIndialive) August 1, 2024
Authorities have, so far, moved around 3,000 families comprising around 10,000 people from the affected area to 91 relief shelters.
The Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government has declared a state of emergency in Wayanad and is coordinating relief and rehabilitation efforts. The focus is now on providing shelter, food, and medical care to the survivors, while also undertaking the daunting task of rebuilding the affected areas.
Experts have warned that the region is prone to landslides and that climate change is exacerbating the risk. The disaster has highlighted the urgent need for effective disaster preparedness and early warning systems to mitigate the impact of future natural calamities.
