Wayanad: The death toll from the devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad has risen to 413, with 152 people still missing as rescue operations enter their ninth day.
A 1,000-strong rescue team, including personnel from the Defence forces, NDRF, SDRF, police, fire services, and volunteers, began searches early Wednesday in the worst-affected areas of Churalmala, Velarimala, Mundakayil, and Punchirimadom.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that search operations will continue until the Defence forces decide to halt them.
The current searches are focused on areas where people were trapped after the catastrophic natural disaster struck Kerala on July 30. CM Vijayan noted on Tuesday that 76 bodies and numerous body parts were recovered from the Chaliyar River in Nilambur, Malappuram district, which originates in Wayanad.
Rescue teams continued to search the Chaliyar River on Wednesday. Over 100 relief camps have been set up, mostly in educational institutions, housing more than 10,300 people.
Initially, the focus was solely on rescue, relief, and rehabilitation, with no political blame games. However, Union Minister for Environment Bhupender Yadav has now called it a man-made disaster, and the Congress-led opposition demands proper utilization of funds pouring into the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund, unlike in 2018.
AK Antony, the country’s longest-serving Defence Minister and a Congress veteran, urged a focus on rehabilitation efforts rather than political point-scoring in the disaster’s aftermath.
