Wayanad landslides updates: Highlights from July 30, 2024

The Army, which has been deployed for rescue services in Wayanad district, has managed to save about 1000 persons using a temporary bridge, after the permanent structure was washed away following the torrential downpour that triggered the landslides, a senior official said on Tuesday.

He also suggested putting on hold the rescue operations, as it was getting dark.

Col.Paramvir Singh Nagra, Commandant DSC Centre said the Army was on alert for the past 15 days and was contacted by the Kerala government on Tuesday morning after the devastating landslides in the hilly district.

This was a “major calamity” and the NDRF and state teams were also actively involved. The Navy and the Air Force were equally contributing, he told PTI.

The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday issued a red alert for the mountain district of Wayanad -- which has been rocked by landslides triggered by incessant rains -- and all the northern districts of Kerala, indicating that extremely heavy rainfall is expected in these regions.

While the IMD has issued a red alert for eight districts, including Wayanad, an orange alert was issued for Tuesday for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts.

A red alert indicates heavy-to-extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours. An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

The red alert was issued for Tuesday in Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts in northern Kerala, as well as Idukki and Thrissur in central Kerala.

The Met office has issued an orange alert for Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts for Wednesday as well.

- PTI

The outpour had slowed on July 30, but not enough to avert the tragedy that struck Wayanad in Kerala in the wee hours of the day. A glance through the amount of rain that battered the State reveals that one station called Thettamala in Wayanad received a whopping amount of 409 mm of rain during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. Even Vadakkanecherry in central Kerala received 340 mm of rainfall during the same period, perhaps one of the heaviest rains the State had seen during the opening two months of the southwest monsoon season.

Kozhikode district has been put on red alert in the wake of heavy rain that has been lashing the district for the past few days. District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, in his capacity as the Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, has issued a ban on all sorts of quarrying and well digging in the district.?

A ban has been imposed on visitors at all tourist destinations under the District Tourism Promotion Council. The public has also been asked to refrain from visiting waterbodies including waterfalls, river banks and beaches as a precautionary measure until further notice. Traffic has been banned in the upland region and the ghat sector where there is a high probability of landslips from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m..

A high-level meeting was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday to coordinate rescue operations in the landslide hit areas of Wayanad and discuss further steps on it.

In the meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the rescue operations.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the coordination with the central government agencies, the deployment of disaster response forces, health and safety precautions and the facilities in the relief camps.

The Chief Minister attended the meeting at the office of the Disaster Management Authority, which coordinates rescue operations at the state level.

Chief Secretary Dr V Venu, Home Additional Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha, Health Department Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Rajan Khobragade, Revenue Principal Secretary Tinku Biswal, Finance Principal Secretary Rabindra Kumar Aggarwal, State Police Chief Sheikh Darvesh Sahib, ADGP Intelligence Manoj Abraham, Public Works Secretary K. Biju attended the meeting.

- ANI

In one of the worst natural disasters in Kerala, at least 123 persons were killed and 128 injured in massive landslides triggered by torrential rains in Wayanad on Tuesday. With hundreds trapped under the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities, rescue agencies were racing against time to pull out any survivors.

Government sources said 123 people have been killed so far in the tragedy.

Heart-wrenching scenes and phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to move out of places where they were stranded, were witnessed after the landslides that left a trail of death and destruction in the picturesque hamlets of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha.

- PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that all necessary cooperation is being provided by the state government for rescue and relief operations in neighbouring Kerala’s Wayanad, which has been devastated by landslides.

The chief minister has deputed two senior IAS officers to coordinate with Kerala state authorities in these operations.

The chief minister, currently on a tour in New Delhi, issued a press statement saying that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team in Bengaluru and teams of the Madras Engineer Group (MEG) of the Army have been sent to assist in the rescue and relief efforts in Wayanad.

One officer from MEG, along with two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and 70 personnel of various ranks, have already departed for Wayanad in 15 vehicles carrying rescue and relief supplies, he said, additionally, two more officers, four JCOs, and 100 army personnel equipped with necessary equipment will depart in 40 vehicles.

- PTI

Heavy engineering equipment and rescue dog teams were being airlifted, and disaster relief teams had been dispatched by the Indian Coast Guard to provide aid and succour to people after a series of landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala’s Wayanad district early on Tuesday.

Defence Minister’s office said all-out efforts were underway as additional troops, heavy engineering equipment, rescue dog teams, and other essential relief stores were being airlifted by service aircraft from Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, and Delhi..

- PTI

Four tourists from North India travelled all the way to the hill district of Wayanad to enjoy its lush greenery and tranquility of nature but ended up trapped after massive landslides devastated the district in Kerala on Tuesday.

After flying into Bengaluru airport, the tourists had visited Coimbatore and Coorg before arriving in Wayanad a few days ago.

Two of them are now missing, and the other two are undergoing treatment at a hospital for injuries sustained in the deadly landslides that struck the hamlets of mountainous Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to the private taxi cab company from which the tourists hired a vehicle, two passengers are missing and untraceable, while two others, women, were rescued and hospitalised.

- PTI

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that more than 250 people have been evacuated to a safer location and 300 personnel have been deployed for rescue operations after a landslide hit the Meppadi area of Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Rajya Sabha, Rai said, “Today morning, the Wayanad district of Kerala witnessed a tragic incident of a landslide... two people have been rescued from the debries and around 250 people have been evacuted to safer locations,” he said.

He further added that Prime Minister Modi has been monitoring the situation and has instructed Union Minister George Kurian to visit the incident site and assess the situation in Kerala.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is monitoring the situation and instructed Union Minister George Kurian to go and assess the situation in the affected areas. The Home Minister also spoke with the Kerala Chief Minister and said that they will get whatever resources they need from the central government,” he said.

- ANI

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former MP from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi, will visit the district following the deaths of over a 100 people after massive landslides in the region.?

He will be flying in to Mysore from Delhi, and from thereon will travel to Meppadi by road. At Meppadi, he will visit two relief camps set up at schools, and the WIMS hospital.

- Kerala Bureau

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that of the dead, 34 bodies were identified and 18 were handed over to families.

The CM also said that 16 bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar river at Pothukal village in the district. Besides that, body parts were also recovered by those carrying out search and rescue operations, he said.

Vijayan said that the initial landslide occurred around 2 am and the next one hit around 4.30 am, leaving hundreds trapped beneath the debris and many more being swept away.

The landslides occurred when the villagers were sleeping, catching them off-guard and resulting in the high number of casualties, he said.

Mr. Vijayan said 45 camps have been set up in the district and around 3,069 people have been rehabilitated there.

- PTI

After an hours-long mission, a man who was covered in mud and desperately clinging to a huge boulder to survive the flood waters gushing past him in landslide-hit Wayanad on Tuesday was rescued.

Visuals of the hapless man’s attempt to survive amidst scattered boulders in the floodwater came from Mundakkai village here, where hundreds of people are reportedly trapped following the deadly landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the early hours of Tuesday.

Helpless local residents could do nothing but watch the man’s struggle and urged authorities to swiftly rescue him.

Having been washed away by flood water, he had somehow got stuck between huge boulders but was unable to stand or swim to safety due to the thick marsh and strong currents.

The visuals of his ordeal, recorded by one of the villagers, were aired on television channels, in which authorities were urged to send rescue teams to the location as soon as possible.

- PTI

The Indian Army is carrying out rescue operation in landslide hit areas of Wayanad in conjunction with NDRF and other agencies.?

Here are the details for the ongoing rescue operations:

Around 150 people have been rescued from Mudakkayi village, provided medical aid and evacuated to the safer places.?

Apart from the four columns with a total strength of approximately 225 personnel, already deployed for the operation, two more columns having a strength of approximately 140 personnel are on standby in Thiruvananthapuram to be airlifted on a short notice, in case the need arises.?

The Army is setting up a Command-and-Control centre at Kozhikode for coordinating HADR efforts.?

Helicopter reconnaissance of the affected area is being undertaken and damage assessment is being carried out to channelise rescue operation in correct direction.

- Kerala Bureau

At least 93 people have been killed so far following massive landslides in the Wayanad region of Kerala.?

With 128 people still missing and rescue operations underway, the toll is expected to go up further.

- Kerala Bureau

?

Warming of the Arabian Sea is allowing the formation of deep cloud systems, leading to extremely heavy rainfall in Kerala in a shorter period and increasing the possibility of landslides, a senior climate scientist said on Tuesday.

S Abhilash, the director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) said Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Calicut, and Malappuram districts have been receiving copious rainfall due to the active monsoon offshore trough affecting the entire Konkan region for the last two weeks.

Expertly-trained dogs from the Army’s elite canine unit of breeds such as Belgian Malinois, Labradors, and German Shepherds, which can smell human remains and even the faintest of breath buried deep under mud, are on their way to the landslide-ravaged Meppadi in Wayanad.

These dogs have been trained for several years at the prestigious Remount Veterinary Corps Centre (RVC) in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

Based on a special request from the Chief Minister of Kerala, the Canine Squad of the Army, specially trained for operations in disaster areas, will be flown to Wayanad to sniff out signs of life so that people trapped deep under the mud at the landslide site can be rescued, and also to recover the human remains of those who were not fortunate enough to survive nature’s onslaught.

A Defence Ministry PRO said that based on the request from the Kerala Government, the Meerut RVC is sending the canine team with expert handlers to Wayanad.

- PTI

The 122 TA Batallion has found 100 people from the Mundakkai village who were trapped. Operations to rescue them have begun.?

-S. Anandan

Kerala Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty has directed that power connections in Wayanad’s Chooralmala and Mundakkai landslide-affected areas be restored as soon as possible, the office of the Minister of Electricity said on Tuesday.

Minister Krishnankutty has instructed that power restoration efforts be focused on all areas except for seven transformers in the disaster-affected region, which serve about 1,400 consumers.?

Efforts to restore power to other areas are expected to be restored by this evening. Further assessments will be carried out in consultation with disaster management authorities.

-ANI

The inclement weather is adversely affecting the rescue operations. Though the rescue operations have been intensified in the Chooralmala area, the Central forces are yet to start airlifting the victims trapped in the Mundakkai and Attamala areas owing to the heavy rains and dearth of facilities to land helicopters.

Read the story here.

The Kerala government has declared a state of mourning on July 30 and 31, given the loss of life and property in Wayanad.

The national flag will fly at half mast.

-G. Anand

Read the Ground Zero piece by S. Anandan in 2019 when landslides hit the Malabar region. Puthumala, which is close to Chooralmala where a massive landslide snuffed out several lives this morning, was among the most heavily affected areas in 2019.?

As the Malabar faces up to rain-related tragedies, the debate then and now, is whether ecologically sensitive areas should be free of human intervention.

Tamil Nadu is sending a team comprising medical personnel and disaster response personnel to Kerala to aid in rescue and relief operations in Wayanad.?

Two IAS officers — G.S. Sameeran and Johny Tom Varghese — would lead the delegation from Tamil Nadu. A Joint Director would lead a team of 20 fire and rescue services personnel and a Superintendent of Police would lead a team of 20 personnel of the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Response Force. A medical team of 10 with doctors and nurses would be part of the delegation.?

Chief Minister Stalin also announced that an assistance of ?5 crore from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund to the Kerala government towards relief operations.

-Dennis Jesudasan

As many as 73 persons were killed in the landslide in Mundakkai in Wayanad district, of which 33 bodies were identified by the kin of the diseased

-E.M. Manoj

Minister for Local Self Government department M.B. Rajesh has directed the presidents and secretaries of local bodies in disaster affected areas to assess the situation and take the appropriate steps to tackle it in consultation with the Disaster Management Authority without waiting for specific directions or orders from the government.?

Those rescued from disaster-affected areas will have to be shifted to the nearest relief camps. The local self government bodies have been instructed to immediately provide clean drinking water, food and other facilities to those in the camps and those who have been isolated.

Apart from the local bodies where the camp is situated, other local bodies should also take steps to supply the required material and human resources to the camps. District Joint Directors have also been instructed to take necessary steps to redeploy the officers of other local bodies if required.

The Minister said that MGNREGS workers willl also be deployed for rescue and relief efforts. In minor landslide areas, workers can be assigned to remove soil, clear road blocks and clear drains. The services of the workers can be used, including in removal of garbage and mud, cleaning of contaminated wells, and setting up of camps.

-S.R. Praveen

Forest Minister A.K.Saseendran, Archives Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran and CPI(M) state Secretary M.V. Govindan visited the Chooralmala area in Wayanad district on July 30, 2024. Image credit: Special Arrangement

Ecologist Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil, who was the chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), has termed the disaster in Wayanad as a man-made tragedy, attributing it to the State government’s failure to implement crucial ecological recommendations.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Gadgil criticised the government for not adhering to the panel’s guidelines designed to prevent such disasters amid extreme climate changes.

- C.P. Sajit

The Kerala government has appointed Seeram Sambasiva Rao, principal director of the local self-government department, as a special officer to coordinate disaster management and relief activities in the Wayanad district.

- G. Anand

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has promised ?5 crore as assistance for the search, rescue, and relief operations. The T.N. government is also rushing two teams comprising doctors, medical personnel, fire and rescue department officials, and bureaucrats to Wayanad.

- G. Anand

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Office (CMO) has informed that the Navy’s 50-member “river crossing team” will reach the disaster site by 2 p.m.

According to local authorities, the death toll in Wayanad landslides has climbed to 64. It is likely to go up further given the number of people missing.

- Dhinesh Kallungal

One person has been reported missing in the landslide at Vilangad in Kozhikode district.?

Search operations are in progress under the aegis of the National Disaster Response Force.?

A bridge at Malayangad has been washed away in the land slide, isolating 15 families. Four houses on the banks of the river has been partially damaged.?

The residents on the banks of the river have been shifted to safer locations.

As Congress members sought a response from the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and has also dispatched a Minister of State from Kerala to coordinate relief efforts.?

Congress members tried to raise slogans and demanded a response from the government on the issue, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reprimanded them and urged them not to politicise the issue of a natural disaster.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi also asked the government to map landslide-prone areas and take up mitigation measures and prepare an action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities in the ecologically fragile region of the Western Ghats.

Mr. Rijiju said any natural calamity was a matter of serious concern for everyone.

“Natural calamity is a matter of concern not only for Kerala, but for everyone. Early this morning, the Prime Minister has sent a Minister of State from Kerala to the State. The Prime Minister has already spoken to the Chief Minister of Kerala,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.

Mr. Rijiju said relief and rescue operations were already underway in Wayanad and he will share an update with the House after gathering more information. — PTI

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha that more than 70 people have been killed in the landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad, and demanded that the Centre extend all possible support for rescue and rehabilitation of those affected.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Mr. Gandhi also sought enhanced compensation to the next of kin of those killed in the landslides and restoration of vital transport and communication lines.

“Early this morning, Wayanad was hit by several devastating landslides. More than 70 people have been killed. Mundakkai village has been cut off and the devastating loss of lives and extensive damage is yet to be assessed due to the scale of the tragedy,” Mr. Gandhi said.

The Congress leader, who was a representative from Wayanad in the Lok Sabha, said he had spoken to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Kerala Chief Minister.

“I request the Union Government to extend all possible support for rescue and medical care, immediate release of compensation to deceased people, and see if that compensation can be increased as well, restore vital transport and communication lines, set up relief at the earliest and prepare a roadmap for the rehabilitation of the affected families,” he said. — PTI

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on has directed officials to focus on organising additional medical facilities at Wayanad and the nearby districts of Malappuram and Kozhikode also.

At a high-level emergency meeting convened here on July 30 morning in the aftermath of the devastating landslides, the Health department decided to deploy additional human resources at Wayanad.

Read more here.

With the heavy rainfall continuing, IMD scaled up weather alert for the day in Kerala by putting half of the State on red alert warning of extreme heavy rainfall in eight districts and four other districts on orange alert forecasting very heavy rainfall.

Red alert has been issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has launched steps to supply food grains and other essential supplies to relief camps for those displaced by the devastating landslides in Wayanad.?

Minister G.R. Anil stated that department officials and Supplyco personnel have been mobilised to the district and surrounding affected areas to ensure the swift delivery of relief materials.

-Sarath Babu George

Union Minister of State George Kurian is heading to Wayanad to lead relief and rescue operations. He will coordinate with NDRF, paramilitary forces, State Govt officials and other agencies in the operation.

With continued heavy rains lashing the district, District Collector Arun K. Vijayan has called for heightened vigilance and special attention to landslide-prone areas. This directive was issued during an online meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority.

In response to the severe weather, a relief camp has been established at the Kathirur Cyclone Shelter in Thalassery Taluk. Thalassery Tehsildar reported that 13 people, including two children, have already taken refuge in the camp.

Additionally, in Iritty taluk, five families were relocated to relatives’ homes following a rockslide near the Chavassery post office. Iritty tahsildar further informed that approximately 50 families have been shifted to the homes of relatives due to the heavy rains, though no additional relief camps have been set up in the district beyond Thalassery Taluk.

Traffic disruptions have also been reported, with the Nedumpoyil-Mananthavady pass road blocked due to cracks. The Public Works Department (Roads) has advised that vehicles travel to Mananthavady via the Pal Churam Road until further notice.

The Collector emphasised the need for continuous monitoring and proactive measures to ensure the safety of residents in the affected areas.

- C.P. Sajit

NDRF DG Piyush Anand informed that one team of the National Disaster Response Force arrived at the Wayanad landslide site following a series of massive landslides that struck the hilly areas of Meppadi, Wayanad district, in the early hours of July 30. Three more teams are on the way.

The landslides in hills of Wayanad in Kerala that killed many and injured scores figured in the Rajya Sabha discussions with the Left and the Congress demanding that the Centre extend financial and other assistance to the State.

Leader of the House and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said it is a very big tragedy and the Central Government, in coordination with the State Government, is pro-actively working to provide relief and carry out rescue operations.

- Dhinesh Kallungal

Kerala Minister M.B. Rajesh said that 250 people have been rescued so far and were shifted to temporary shelters in the landslides that hit Wayanad’s Meppadi area in the early hours of Tuesday. He added that rescue operations are undertaken on a war footing.

“An IAS officer will be camping in Wayand to coordinate the rescue ops. 250 people were rescued and shifted to temporary shelter camps. We are airlifting stranded persons. All efforts are being taken by the govt for rescue ops,” he told ANI.

A man, covered in mud, was seen desperately trying to stand by clinging to a huge boulder in gushing flood water, in one of the harrowing scenes from a landslide-hit hamlet in Kerala’s Wayanad district.

The man, suspected to have been washed away by the flood water, somehow got stuck between huge boulders but was unable to stand or swim to safety due to the thick marsh and strong currents.

The harrowing visuals of the hapless man’s attempt to survive amidst scattered boulders in the floodwater came from Mundakkai village, where hundreds of people were reportedly trapped following the deadly landslides in the early hours of Tuesday triggered by heavy rainfall.

PTI

The Defence Department has informed that adverse weather impeded helicopter operations over the landslide-hit Wayanad district. The Indian Air Force (IAF) had despatched an MI 17 helicopter and an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) for relief and rescue operations from the Sulur airbase in Coimbatore. “Weather over the affected area is adverse. However, they (helicopters) will be taking off again towards disaster relief operations,” a press release issued by the Public Relations Officer, Defence, said.

The State Government sought the Defence Forces’ help to evacuate at least 250 people stranded following a major landslide in Meppadi panchayat in Vythri taluk in Wayanad district early Tuesday. The Indian Army despatched two rescue columns comprising 200 soldiers from the Defence Security Corps, a medical team from the Kannur Military Hospital and the Territorial Army unit based in Kozhikode.

- G. Anand

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are expected to visit Kerala’s Wayanad. Speaking to ANI, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said, “This is the hour of togetherness, we have to work together so that maximum people’s lives are safe. We are planning to go (to Wayanad). Yes, both (Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) are planning to go.” Mr. Venugopal said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has assured full cooperation and that efforts to involve maximum-level rehabilitation measures are underway.

“It is very unfortunate and saddest day for us. One after another tragedies are happening in Wayanad. Today morning we heard this saddest news. Then onwards, we are trying to involve maximum-level rehabilitation measures, rescue measures to be taken by the government and other agencies. I informed Rahul Gandhi, he immediately called the District Collector and then called the Chief Minister. He offered full support to the Chief Minister if anything was needed from his side. He also spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Rajnath Singh also assured full cooperation,” Mr. Venugopal said.?

K.C. Venugopal and Congress MP Hibi Eden gave an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha on the backdrop of the tragedy and urged the Central Government to ensure that rescue operations must be fastened and all possible help must be given to the affected. Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala urged collective efforts to provide relief to the victims and their families and said that rescue operations should be undertaken on war-footing manner.

“It is a very tragic incident that happened in Wayanad at 3 a.m. I was told that more casualties were there. The rescue operations are going on. I talked to the MLA and other important leaders there, as well as the district administration. They are trying their level best to rescue the people from that area,” Mr. Chennithala said while speaking to ANI. “There is no connectivity in this area. So the police, district administration, everybody is trying to get in touch with the people who are stranded... Everybody should stand together to give relief to these bereaved families and rescue operations should be on the war footing,” he added.

Heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala’s Wayanad district early, leaving at least 50 persons dead and sparking apprehensions of possible increase in fatalities due to many people feared trapped under the debris.

Calamity struck catching the sleeping victims off-guard. Frantic calls for help were made and the rescue personnel were racing against time to pull out survivors.

According to the district collector Meghasree D.R., the latest toll stood at 45. In connection with the landslide in Chooralmala she confirmed that 36 deaths have been reported. Additionally, nine bodies swept away by the Chaliyar River were recovered in Malappuram.

Dhinesh Kallungal & PTI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin expressed his condolences over the loss of life due to landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad and said the Tamil Nadu Government is ready to provide any assistance to Kerala in this crisis.?

“The government of Tamil Nadu is willing to extend any logistical or manpower support that may be needed in this hour of crisis to our brother State Kerala. Deeply pained to learn about the massive landslides in #Wayanad and the consequent loss of priceless lives. I am given to understand that many people are still trapped in the area. I am sure the rescue operations that are in full swing will save them all,” Mr. Stalin said in a post on X.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office (CMO) informed that the Cabinet delegation tasked with coordinating search, rescue and relief operations in Wayanad touched down at Kozhikode airport from Thiruvananthapuram.?

Revenue Minister K. Rajan, P.A. Muhammad Riyaz, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Minister O.R. Kelu would soon reach Wayanad.

- G. Anand

A landslide at Malakkappara near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border checkpost claimed two lives. The deceased were identified as Rajeswary, 57, wife of Arumukham, from Tamil Nadu, and her granddaughter Muthu, 12. Their house collapsed in the landslide. The area witnessed heavy rain. It is reported that the Upper Sholayar dam has been opened due to heavy rain in the catchment areas.

- Mini Muringatheri

Train service was disrupted at Akamala in Thrissur district today as flood water entered into the rail track. Train services between Thrissur and Shoranur have been cancelled.

Ernakulam-Kannur Intercity stopped service at Thrissur and Tirunelveli-Palakkad Palaruvi Express at Aluva. Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur Venad Express will stop service at Chalakudy.

Guruvayur-Thrissur; Thrissur-Guruvayur, Shoranur-Thrissur; Thrissur-Shoranur passengers cancelled service. Many trains were delayed.

- Mini Muringatheri

The district administration has opened two relief camps at St Mary’s College in Bathery and SKMJ School at Kalpetta. The government has rushed food, clothing, medical personnel, and medicines to the camps.?

The government has commandeered mobile morgue freezers to store the dead bodies of victims to make up for the shortage of mortuary chambers in local hospitals.?

The government has requisitioned trucks, earthmovers, boats, searchlights, dinghy boats, grapples, hooks, roops and packaged meals for rescue and relief operations.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Army chief general Upendra Dwivedi in the wake of landslides in Wayanad, Kerala. The Indian Army units are deployed there for rescue and relief work.

The Army received a requisition for providing aid to civil authority today morning. In response the Army has mobilised four columns including two columns ex 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) and two ex the DSC Centre, Kannur. The total strength of Army deployed so far for the rescue operation is approximately 225 including medical personnel.

- Nistula Hebbar & Dinakar Peri

Frantic phone calls were made by people desperately pleading for help after being trapped under destroyed houses and piles of debris as landslides rocked the high-range hamlets of Kerala’s Wayanad district. Television channels aired phone conversations of several people crying and requesting someone to come and rescue them as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to travel as bridges had been washed away and the roads were flooded.

In one such conversation, a woman, apparently a native of Chooralmala town, was heard crying aloud, saying that someone in her house was trapped under the marsh and debris and could not be pulled out. “Someone, please come and help us. We have lost our house. We don’t know whether Nausheen (apparently a family member) is alive. She is trapped in the marsh. Our house is in the town itself...,” the woman could be heard saying.?

A man, another native of Chooralmala, said during a phone conversations that the place was still trembling and they didn’t know what to do. “The earth is trembling. There is a huge noise in the place. We have no way to come from Chooralmala,” he said. Another man, in a phone call, alerted that a large number of people were trapped under mud and battling for life in Mundakkai. “If someone can come here by vehicle from the Meppadi area, we can save the lives of hundreds of people,” he said.

PTI

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office (CMO) has informed that the Indian Army’s engineering group was en route to Wayanad to assist the State Police, NDRF teams and Civil Defence Groups in search and rescue operations.?

The Indian Army has mobilised the personnel and equipment of the Madras Engineering Group (MEG), which is based in Bangalore. The CMO said the MEG carried bridge-laying equipment to help rescue workers reach Mundakkai.?

The landslide destroyed the bridge connecting the village to the nearest market, which is known as the Bazar area. Mundakkai remained cut off from the rest of the district. Revenue Secretary Tinku Biswall, Kerala, was in touch with the MEG Chief and Major General V.T. Mathews. The CMO said the State Police have deployed aerial drones and sniffer dog squads to aid rescuers.

Indian Union Muslim League members in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have moved motions to discuss the Wayanad tragedy and the disastrous flood situation in parts of Kerala.

P.V. Abdul Wahab moved an adjournment motion under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha when E.T. Mohammed Basheer moved the motion in the Lok Sabha.

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Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) Lok Sabha candidate from Wayanad parliamentary constituency, Annie Raja, has urged the Central Government to declare the three back-to-back landslips that devasted Wayanad a national disaster. Ms. Raja said the Centre should rush assistance to the Kerala Government to expedite the rescue and relief operations.?

Ms. Raja posted on X: “Once again, tragedy has struck the people of Wayanad... It happened last night but, in some of the areas rescue team has not reached even now, according to reports... The government of Kerala is trying its level best to reach out to people and save them... Ministers have already reached Wayanad and they are meeting people in hospitals... The Prime Minister has said that he has contacted the Kerala government. He has also announced some financial support to those who died and injured... The need of the hour is to announce it as a national disaster. The entire rescue, relief and rehabilitation process should be taken care of by the Centre... I hope that the Central Government and the Prime minister will take note of the situation and extend all possible help.”

State Health Minister Veena George told the media that the toll rose to 23 in the landslides that hit Kerala’s hilly Wayanad. However, sources have confirmed with The Hindu that 36 people have lost their lives so far.

Of those killed, four people, including a child, died in Chooralmala town of the district, while a one-year-old child of a family from Nepal died in Thondernad village, according to the Wayanad district authorities.

Besides that, three bodies, including that of a five-year-old, were recovered from the banks of a river near Pothukal village, authorities said. Additionally, hundreds are feared to be trapped, but the authorities have not confirmed the same.

PTI

Local authorities confirmed 36 deaths with The Hindu as multiple NDRF teams, two helicopters and other rescue efforts are on their way to Mundakkai, which has been totally cut off by devastating landslides that hit Kerala’s Wayanad district.

- Dhinesh Kallungal

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) said it would mobilise hundreds of workers to help rescue and relief workers in Wayanad.?

KPCC president K. Sudhakaran said party workers would aid in rushing medicines, clothing, and food to Wayanad to help the citizens hit by the disaster.

The number of bodies washed up by the Chaliyar at different parts of Munderi and Nilambur in Malappuram district has risen to 10. They are presumably the victims of the Wayanad landslide disaster. Any landslide in Wayanad has an immediate impact on Malappuram and Kozhikode rivers, particularly the Chaliyar.

BJP State president and the NDA’s candidate for the Lok Sabha elections in Wayanad, K. Surendran urged his party workers to help in the relief and rescue operations.

Union Minister of State for Fisheries, George Kurian, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office (PMO) had ordered Indian Airforce, Navy and Army stations in South India to support the rescue and relief operations in Wayanad.?

He said the PMO closely monitored the situation and would extend all help to the State government. “Both Central and State governments will work closely to rush relief to the people of Wayanad,” he said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reviewed aerial and satellite photographs of the landslip-ravaged Wayanad district at the Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.?

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority’s (KSDMA) Chief Resilience Officer, Dr. Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose, briefed Mr. Vijayan.?

Mr. Vijayan said that it was too early to quantify the loss of life and damage. Rescue workers were striving to reach the disaster-hit localities. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, had called him and offered support.?

“The picture will become clearer in the coming hours. The government has intervened strongly”, Mr. Vijayan added. Earlier, Mr. Vijayan had chaired an emergency Cabinet meeting at his official residence at the Cliff House in Thiruvananthapuram.

- G. Anand

Revenue Minister K. Rajan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that a bridge collapse at Mundakkayil in Wayanad district has left the landslide-hit locality cut off from the rest of the region. However, Mr. Rajan said an NDRF team was attempting to rig a pontoon bridge to reach the locality. He said the government also considered setting up a ropeway for search, rescue and relief operations.?

He said two IAF helicopters from Sular Air Base in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, were airborne and would reach Wayanad in less than an hour. Mr. Rajan, the government was keeping NDRF teams in Thrissur and Kozhikode in reserve, given the heavy rain. The NDRF has despatched two teams from Arkonam and Bangalore to Wayanad.?

Forest Minister K. Saseendran told reporters in Wayanad that local hospitals were treating 66 injured persons. At least six bodies were kept in various morgues. He said local people fished out a few bodies downstream of the Chaliyar River. He said some hospital staff were also missing. Mr. Saseendran said the landslip had occurred at 2 a.m., and it was too early to quantify its swathe.

A massive landslip occurred near Harle estate in Sakaleshpur on on Monday night. The landslip swept away a portion of the road that serves as an alternative to Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway which has seen many landslips in recent weeks. The landslip disrupted road network to many villages in the taluk.

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A team of the National Disaster Response Force is carrying out rescue operations at Vilangad in rural Kozhikode where 12 families have been isolated due to a landslide. Seven families have been shifted to safer locations after the Kaithappoyi-Aanorammal road collapsed for over 80 metres in rural Kozhikode.

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) on Tuesday morning opened one of the four spillway shutters of the Banasura Sagar dam at Padinjarethara following heavy inflow from the catchment areas.

The catchment areas had been witnessing heavy rain for the past four days, Dam Safety officials said. The officials told The Hindu that the shutter was raised at 8.10 a.m. after the water level in the reservoir crossed 773.25 m. The full reservoir level is 775.5 m.

“The shutter was raised by 10 cm in the morning and the rate of flow is maintained at 8.5 cubic metres per second (8,500 litres a second), the officials said.. If the inflow of water may increase the shutter would be raised 20 cms, officials added.

The water is being discharged through the Karamanthodu River to the Panamaram River, a tributary of the Kabani.

“As all arrangements were made before the raising of the spillway shutter, there is no need for worries,” Wayanad district collector R.D.Meghasree said. “Flood warning was issued to people residing in low-level areas along the banks of the Panamaram River, she said.

Seven relief camps have been opened in Kozhikode district, three in Mavoor Village, three in Kumaranallur Village and one in Kuruvattoor village. As many as 15 families in Ward 46 of Vadakara Municipality in Kozhikode district are being shifted into a cyclone shelter.

With the rain continuing to be heavy, a ban has been imposed on visitors at all tourist destinations in Kozhikode district. Besides, all granite quarries have been asked to shut down temporarily.

Health Minister Veena George said that the National Health Mission’s Kerala Director, Dr. Jeevan Babu, will coordinate health personnel and doctors in the disaster-hit Wayanad district. The government has opened three State-level control rooms. (9995220557, 9037277026, 9447732827).

Intense rainfall and low visibility are reportedly hampering relief and rescue operations. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has informed us that heavy rain will continue to lash Central and North Kerala for at least 24 hours.

Rescue operations led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, police, fire and rescue personnel and local people are underway at the Chooralmala area in the district, Wayanad district collector R.D. Meghasree said. As many as 11 bodies were recovered and nearly 50 persons were admitted to various hospitals so far.?

Incessant rain triggered landslips in many places, including Mundakkai, Attamala and Kunhome areas apart from Chooralmala in the district. The Mundakkai and Attamala areas were fully isolated after a bridge connecting the Chooralmala with the Mundakkai and Attamala areas was destroyed in a flash of flood after the landslide in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The District Disaster Management Committee issued a red alert after the heavy rain battered the district. The hill district was isolated on Tuesday morning after vehicular movement blocked on the three major ghat sections of roads such as the Wayanad ghat section of road on the Kozhikode-Kollegal national highway; Palchuram and Kuttiyadi ghat section of roads on the Mananthavady-Kannur and Mananthavadi-Kuttiyadi highways owing to landslips.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dispatched five Ministers to the disaster-hit Wayanad district. The CMO said they would travel by a special aircraft from Thiruvananthapuram to the disaster-struck area. The delegation included Revenue Minister K Rajan, Public Works Minister Muhammad Riyaz, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Minister O R Kelu, Forest Minister K Saseendran and Ports Minister Kadannapally Ramachandran.

The swollen Chaliyar River washed up several bodies in Pothukal panchayat near Nilambur on Tuesday morning. They are presumed to be the victims of the landslides in Wayanad. District administration officials said three bodies, including that of a child, were recovered. A few others are reported to be still afloat in the flooded river.

As the water level in the Vilangad River continues to rise, authorities are evacuating residents from the riverbank areas to the Parish Hall as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, officials said the water level at Kakkayam Dam was rising at an alarming rate. It has prompted the authorities to raise two shutters by four feet each in a phased manner. If the current pattern of heavy rainfall and inflow persists, additional shutter openings may be necessary to ensure safe water management, they said.

A landslide in Vilangad-Malayangad in rural Kozhikode has resulted in the collapse of a crucial bridge, leaving 12 families isolated in the area. No casualties have been reported. The disaster has also caused damage to four houses located on the riverbank. Authorities are working to assess the situation and provide necessary assistance to those affected.

Due to heavy rainfall and rising water levels in rivers, the district Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has declared a holiday for all educational institutions in Kozhikode district, including professional colleges on Tuesday. Anganwadis in the district will also remain closed. However, previously scheduled exams will take place as planned.

The landslip that hit Meppadi, Mundakkal Town and Chooralmala in Wayanad has claimed 12 persons, including a child, so far. Officials said they feared the death count could rise. Health Minister Veena George said the government had rushed more health workers, medicine and surgical equipment to the Vythiri, Mananthawadi, Kalpetta and Meppadi government hospitals.

- G. Anand

In the heavy rains, the Edyar-Kannavam River overflowed breaching the banks and inundating several areas including Edyar Akare, Poozhiyod, Kannavam Town, Chundail, Idumba, Chemmaram, and Vattoli, in Kannur. The forest department has also reported a landslip inside the forest near Chembukavu.?

The sudden flooding has displaced numerous residents and submerged many homes. In Kannavam Town, a local shop was completely destroyed by the rising waters. The water has also flooded the forest office. Additionally, a tree fell on Cheruvanchery Road, exacerbating the situation by disrupting both traffic and electricity connections in the area. Emergency services are on high alert as efforts to provide relief and restore normalcy are underway.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheeshan has cancelled his programmes and is headed to the disaster site, his office informed on Tuesday.

- G. Anand

The State Government has received information that at least 100 persons, including women and children, fled cascading mud and stones in the wee hours of Tuesday at Mundakkayi and sought refuge in Tree Valley resort in Mundakayi.?

The resort owner, Younous, told Malayalam television news channels over the telephone that several were injured and the refugees urgently needed medicines and food. He said the landslip had covered a large swath of the locality, and several families remained trapped. Mr> Yonous said the landslip had cut off the locality from the rest of the district.

- G. Anand

A 250-member team comprising the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence, and NDRF are actively engaged in rescue operations at the landslip in Wayanad. More NDRF teams were on their way to the disaster site, the CMO said.

The Indian Air Force is rushing two helicopters from the Sulur Air Base in Coimbatore to aid the Kerala Government’s rescue operations in the landslide-hit Wayanad district.?

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Office said the aircraft include an MI 17 helicopter and an Advanced Light Helicopter capable of ferrying rescue personnel to massive mud slip in the hilly Mepadin locality.?

Mr. Vijayan has dispatched several Ministers to the locality to coordinate rescue operations. NDRF teams are already on the spot, working with local rescuers, police and fire and rescue department personnel.?

The government has restricted traffic movement along the Thamarassery route in the district, fearing that the heavy rains might trigger more landslips. Chief Secretary Dr. V. Venu refused to hazard a guess on the number of causalities at the current juncture. He said a column of the Indian Army was headed to Wayanad from Kannur.

- G. Anand

In a video message, UDF MLA T Siddique said district authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from the Mundakkai area. “Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides. Many areas have been cut off. NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places.” he said.

According to a weather update by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the central and northern districts of Kerala can expect isolated heavy rainfall today.

Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts are on yellow alert for isolated heavy rainfall (7-11 cm in 24 hours). Other districts can expect light to moderate rain.

CM Vijayan said that in the wake of the landslides and other rain-related disasters in Wayanad district, the Health Department — National Health Mission — has opened a control room. Those in need of emergency assistance can contact authorities through these two numbers — 9656938689 and 8086010833 — the statement said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that all government agencies have joined the search and rescue operations in the wake of massive landslides that struck various hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala’s Wayanad district, leaving hundreds feared to be trapped.

The operations will be coordinated, and State Ministers will reach the hilly district to lead the rescue activities, Chief Minister Vijayan said in a statement issued by his office.

PTI