Kerala: Violent landslides strike Wayanad; 24 dead, several unaccounted for

A chain of disastrous landslides occurred in different parts of hilly terrains in and around Meppadi in Kerala’s Wayanad district at about 4 a.m., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. The disaster has so far claimed the lives of no less than 24 people and damaged hundreds of other people who are possibly still buried under the rubble. It has been observed that the Meppadi, Mundakkai Town, and Chooral Mala areas are heavily affected by these slides and the results are devastating.

The district reports indicate that the Kerala health minister, Veena George, declares that 24 bodies of people have been admitted in different hospitals in the region. Aside from the death toll, approximately 70 other people have been injured, and attempts are being made to guarantee their proper treatment. The above-said has brought together different authorities at the national and state levels. Now, NDRF and our CD teams are also quite busy in the rescue process and soon IN ships will also be involved in the same process. A major infrastructural loss involved the destruction of a bridge with the area of operation that prolonged the rescue and relief operations.

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All said and done, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his twitter handle to condole the incident and express concern saying that his thoughts are with the bereaved families and he is praying for the injured. The crisis situation was unfolding when Prime Minister Modi spoke to Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala and offered everything possible to tackle the crisis situation. In response, former Congress MP Rahul Gandhi expressed his deep anguish over this tragedy and said that he will be communicating with the Union ministers regarding the same, so as to facilitate help for Wayanad at the earliest.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has ensured all departments of the Kerala state to help in the rescue mission in Wayanad. Fireforce and NDRF teams have been deployed to the areas affected with this, according to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority or KSDMA. Besides this, another team of NDRF is already on its way and two teams of Kannur Defence Security Corps have been ordered to join the rescue operation.

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One that can be recalled that a young life was tragically lost in Thondernad village in which, a one-year old child belonging to a Nepali family was buried alive by the landslide. Regarding this, Chief Minister Vijayan has come forward to state that there will be efficient co-ordination in the operations to be held and the state ministers are to pay a visit to the district in connection with the rescue operations which are to take place. Due to worsening of the situation the National Health Mission has opened a control room regarding the health and medical care requirements for the victims of the tragedy.

Rahul Gandhi also appealed every workers of the UDF to cooperate to the present administration in rescue and relief missions. Included in the report was a statement from him that stressed the call for unity in addressing the said issue, as well as, empathy for the families of the lost ones. He further, encouraged the public to call the emergency assistance numbers, +919656938689 and +918086010833 in case of any help needed.

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Even as the operations of rescuing the trapped people continue, it is still very tense because of the prevailing rainy season that has worsened the rescue teams’ undertakings. Rescue was ongoing when Onmanorama said that another landslide happened near ChooralMala School around 4 a. m. Some of the structures that were affected include the school which now serves as a temporary shelter, the houses, and shops which received water mixed with mud. This subsequent landslide killed at least five people while the first one killed one man.

The local newspapers inform that approximately 400 families are affected by the destruction of the bridge that connects ChooralMala Town. There are cases of people having been injured while many vehicles have been buried by the sliding land and soil. The current intensive rainfall has greatly affected the consequential organized rescue operations which include the desperate moves to search for the trapped individuals and even distribute basic essentials to those affected.

In a nutshell, the landslides in Wayanad district have rendered significant devastations where the human lives were affected and persons trapped. This makes it important for both State and National agencies to be involved especially in managing the crisis, offering disaster aid to the affected people and equalization of business in the region.

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