300 Still Missing in Wayanad Landslides, Rescue Operations Continues

GG News Bureau
Wayanad, 2nd August. As the massive search and rescue operations in Wayanad’s Mundakkai continue amidst persistent rains, Kerala ADGP M R Ajith Kumar reported on Friday that approximately 300 people remain missing following the devastating landslides that struck the region.

The death toll from Tuesday’s landslides, triggered by heavy rains, reached 190 on Thursday, with authorities anticipating that the number could rise in the coming days.

While coordinating the search and rescue missions, ADGP Kumar said that around 300 people were still unaccounted for, but the final number could only be confirmed after the Revenue Department completes its data collection. “Based on the information we have received so far, approximately 300 people are still missing. However, the Revenue Department is still collating the details. Within one or two days, we will be able to get a final picture,” Kumar stated.

The ADGP, responsible for Law and Order in the state, mentioned that the landslide-affected areas have been divided into six zones, with separate search teams and cadaver dogs initiating operations.

Kumar added that the Kerala police, with assistance from specialized agencies, will conduct combing operations along the Chaliyar river up to Kozhikode city. “We are also conducting river combing. Yesterday, we found bodies in Pothukal. We have now directed all police stations along the banks of the Chaliyar river up to Kozhikode city to search their respective areas,” he said.

Reports have emerged of bodies being found on the banks of the Chaliyar river in Malappuram district. Authorities have confirmed that 143 bodies and several body parts retrieved from the Chaliyar river in Malappuram have been brought to Wayanad.

According to the Wayanad district administration, the deceased include 27 children and 76 women. More than 225 people have been injured, predominantly in the worst-hit areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala.