Death toll in Kerala landslides rises to 158; 191 still missing

Wayanad (Kerala), July 31

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The number of people who lost their lives in the devastating series of landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district has climbed to 158, with authorities on Wednesday expressing concern over the fate of 191 people who are still missing.

"Rescue operations in Wayanad are continuing in full swing. Our land has never experienced such painful sights before," Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

The Wayanad district administration confirmed the deaths of 158 people in the calamity.

Earlier, addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, the chief minister said that so far, 144 bodies had been recovered. Among them, 79 are men and 64 women.

"As many as 191 people are still missing," according to the latest count.

Earlier in the day, a cabinet meeting chaired by CM Vijayan expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the disaster.

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

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

"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.

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 which 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.

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 up 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 till Tuesday night.

Additionally, the Air Force is carrying out aerial reconnaissance of the affected areas to coordinate search and rescue operations.

The landslides occurred around 2 am and 4.10 am on Tuesday catching people off-guard while they were sleeping, leading to a high number of casualties.

Harrowing scenes of dead bodies in sitting and lying positions inside destroyed houses could be seen as rescue operations resumed in the landslide-devastated Mundakkai hamlet on Wednesday morning.

The rescuers could reach many inland areas, which were totally cut off on Wednesday morning only.

Tiny makeshift bridges were erected over swollen rivers and excavators were engaged non-stop in removing piles of debris and boulders, with rescue missions continuing in the landslide-hit hamlet.

Rescue operators, including Army personnel, NDRF, state emergency service personnel, and local people, were fighting all odds to carry out the tough mission even as rain continued to lash several areas.

In Mundakkai, one of the badly affected villages, tiny bridges were erected using ropes and ladders to connect with the cut-off land and bring the people trapped there to safety.

There were tense moments when people, including women and children, were being brought to safer places through the narrow, makeshift bridges across gushing rivers.

In some places, rescuers formed human bridges using ropes to ensure the safe evacuation of people.