Kerala landslides: Extensive rescue operations in Wayanad, over 1,500 people rescued

Wayanad (Kerala): The construction of a Bailey bridge to connect the landslide-hit areas, where several people are believed to be stranded, alongside the deployment of sniffer dogs and over 1,000 rescuers from Central and state emergency response teams conducting massive search operations, constitutes one of the largest rescue efforts in the Wayanad, devastated by a deadly calamity.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi 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 Wayanad district, where as many as 167 people died and 191 are still missing.

Vijayan said the scenes in the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of the district were devastating. "These areas have been completely destroyed," he said.

He also said that efforts to rescue as many people as possible from the disaster zone are progressing well.

Tiny makeshift bridges were erected over swollen rivers, and excavators were engaged non-stop in removing piles of debris and boulders as rescue missions continued in the landslide-hit hamlets of Wayanad.

Rescue personnel from the Army, NDRF, state emergency services personnel and local people fought against the adverse weather conditions and tough terrain to look for people who might be trapped under the debris of destroyed homes, mud, and rocks.

"In the two-day rescue operation, 1,592 people were rescued. This is the achievement of a coordinated and extensive mission to save so many people in a short span of time," Vijayan said at a press conference here.

He said that in the first phase, 206 people from 68 families in the nearby areas of the disaster were shifted to three camps. "This includes 75 men, 88 women, and 43 children," the chief minister said.

Following the landslide, 1,386 people who were stranded and those who were trapped in their homes were rescued as a result of the ongoing rescue mission.

"This includes 528 men, 559 women, and 299 children who were shifted to seven camps. Two hundred and one people were rescued and taken to the hospital, of whom 90 are currently undergoing treatment," he said.

Vijayan said that in Wayanad district, there are currently 8,017 people in 82 relief camps. This includes 19 pregnant women.

"There are eight camps in Meppadi, where 1,486 people from 421 families are currently staying," he said.

He said operations are underway to find bodies floating down the river to the adjoining Malappuram district.

"A team of 1,167 personnel has been deployed for the rescue operation. This includes 645 firefighters led by 10 station officers, 94 NDRF personnel, 167 District Sainik Welfare Centre personnel, 153 personnel from the Madras Engineer Group, and Coast Guard personnel who arrived on Tuesday," Vijayan said.

Meanwhile, rescue teams comprising the Army, Navy and NDRF are collectively looking for survivors by unearthing the debris and breaking into the remains of houses destroyed or covered with mud in the landslides.

According to a Defence statement, army units deployed in the area rescued around 1,000 people from the affected areas until Tuesday night.

Additionally, the Air Force is carrying out aerial reconnaissance of the affected areas to coordinate search and rescue operations and is using helicopters to airlift people stranded in various places in the landslide affected areas.

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.

Rescue agencies resumed their operations early in the morning to trace people suspected to be trapped following the landslides triggered by heavy rains.

The CM said that efforts were on to bring materials to build a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge to connect the worst-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala and intensify rescue operations there.

The bridge will be constructed by Thursday, he said.

Besides that, sniffer dogs, trained by the army to detect people buried under soil, are also being brought there, he further said, adding that an intelligent buried object detection system will also be used for that purpose.

Vijayan also called upon everyone to contribute to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) in order to help those affected by the landslides.

He said that Lulu Group Chairman M A Yusuff Ali, leading industrialist Ravi Pillai, Kalyan Jewellers owner Kalyana Raman, KSFE and the Adani Group have announced financial assistance to the tune of Rs 5 crore each.

"The Rs 5 crore assistance announced by Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin yesterday was handed over to us today," the CM said.

Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children.