11 August,2024 10:02 PM IST | Wayanad | mid-day online correspondent
Rescue operation underway after a landslide in Wayanad. Pic/PTI
Rescuers in Kerala retrieved three more body parts from the site of Wayanad landslides on Sunday, according to state minister PA Mohamed Riyas. The hunt continues as 130 people are still missing following the horrific landslide that rocked the hill district on July 30, reported ANI.
Per the report, Minister Riyas said 178 bodies have been identified thus far, with 51 remaining unidentified. "Today, we recovered three body pieces. "A post-mortem will determine whether they are human or animal," he explained. The search team, which includes police, firefighters, volunteers, and victims' relatives, is working feverishly to find those who remain missing.
Approximately 2,000 people participated in the search efforts following the Wayanad landslides today, and a thorough search of the Chaliyar River is scheduled for the next two days, the ANI report stated.
Reportedly, the Kerala cabinet subcommittee has also reported that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the Wayanad landslides as a national disaster and to allocate special relief packages. Prime Minister Modi visited Wayanad on Saturday, conducting both aerial and on-the-ground surveys of the affected areas, and chaired a review meeting with state and union officials. The Prime Minister assured full support for the state's rehabilitation efforts.
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The Wayanad landslides of July 30 have been the deadliest in Kerala, claiming more than 300 lives and causing widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure, the news agency report stated.
Search Operations in Wayanad Halted Due to Heavy Rains
Meanwhile, another PTI report stated that search operations in Wayanad to locate people who remain missing following the recent landslides were paused on Sunday due to heavy rains in the Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions. Members of the cabinet subcommittee, who briefed the media, indicated that a thorough search would be done on August 12 and 13 to locate individuals missing in the terrible landslides.
According to State Minister PA Mohammed Riyas, a 190-person team, including members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, fire service, Civil Defence Force, Forest Department, and other rescue workers, would search five specified zones at the site of Wayanad landslides, the report added.
Per the report, he also mentioned that 253 rental homes had been located to house the survivors of Wayanad landslides. "The rehabilitation will be carried out in conjunction with the survivors. Eighteen teams are presently completing surveys at the 14 relief camps, and survivors can select their preferred panchayat," the minister said. Survivors will be provided with essential furnishings and household items.
The cabinet subcommittee said that over 2,000 people, including relatives and survivors of Wayanad landslides, took part in the intensive search effort on Sunday. Three body pieces were retrieved from the Kanthanpara jungle, the PTI report added.
According to the state authorities, the Wayanad landslides killed 229 people and left more than 130 individuals missing. Fifty-one bodies have yet to be identified. There are currently 1,770 individuals, including 673 women and 439 children, housed in 15 relief camps.
