- Wednesday, October 30, 2024
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
By: Shajil Kumar
THE DEVASTATING series of landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad district has flattened four hamlets and claimed the lives of at least 144 people and injured over 200, with the toll expected to rise as rescuers search through the debris, official sources said on Wednesday.
Over 180 people are missing and more than 300 houses were destroyed in the landslides that hit the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of the district, they said.
Of the dead, 75 have been identified and post-mortems of 123 have been completed.
The recovered bodies are being kept at the Meppadi Family Health Centre and the Nilambur Government Hospital, an official statement said here.
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.
Caught off-guard
The landslides occurred around 2 am and 4.10 am on Tuesday catching people off-guard while they were sleeping, leading to many 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 cut off, on Wednesday morning only.
According to visuals aired on TV channels, at one place, army personnel could be seen breaking the tin roof of a house that was completely submerged in mud and using ropes to reach inside to retrieve the bodies of those trapped there.
A local man, who went inside one such house, said he saw mud-covered bodies in sitting positions on chairs and lying down on cots.
“The deceased persons might be sitting or lying down when the tragedy struck them in the small hours of Tuesday,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wayanad district authorities started collecting data to determine the number of people missing following the massive tragedy.
A special team at the District Emergency Operation Centre is compiling data on the number of people residing in the area, those found after the landslide, and the number of persons missing, a district administration official told reporters.
The official said data on individuals is being collected by reviewing ration card details and other government documents.
Members of several families have reported that their loved ones remain untraced.
The massive Wayanad landslides that levelled houses and buried lives underneath them have also scarred the survivors for life.
With their near and dear ones gone and staring at an uncertain future, survivors recount their most traumatic experience ever that unfolded in the wee hours of July 30.
Survivors recall horror
Speaking to PTI, Pranjeesh, a survivor from Mundakkai, said he heard a loud noise and the landslide occurred four times.
“Around 12.40 am, the landslide occurred. We heard a huge sound. Three members of my family were lost in the landslide that passed right in front of my house. Now, we are in a camp and safe. We are eight people. My mother’s sister and her family were left behind,” he said.
Prasanna, from Chooralmala, was in tears when she recounted her experience. The woman witnessed her sister and her family being swept away by the muddy water.
“I could only help my father. I carried him and ran towards the forest. I couldn’t help my sister. I couldn’t save her. Two of the children ran outside and got washed away. I could hear them screaming. Our house got washed away,” Prasanna, in her late 40s, recounted the ordeal.
Union Minister George Kurian has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the landslide situation in Kerala’s Wayanad district, with the central government assuring all possible assistance to the state for the rescue efforts of those affected by the tragedy.
Kurian visited the people affected by the landslide in Wayanad.
“The situation is being monitored by the central government at the highest level. The Honourable Prime Minister is monitoring the situation and has deputed me to visit the affected areas.
“Both control rooms of the Ministry of Home Affairs are monitoring the situation 24×7 and providing all possible assistance to the state,” he is quoted as saying in a press release here on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister’s Office said that the Army will construct a Bailey bridge for rescue operations in Wayanad’s Chooralmala.
Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains struck Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children.
Tourists rescued
The Indian army personnel on Wednesday carried out a daring rescue mission, saving 19 civilians stranded in the Ela Resort and Vana Rani Resort, located beyond landslide-hit Mundakkai village in Kerala’s Wayanad district.
Acting on inputs from forest officials and villagers, the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) Madras, led by Sub Gijil, Sub Jayesh, and Nb Sub Anilkumar, alongside 12 jawans, demonstrated extraordinary bravery and resilience.
Despite the challenges posed by the flooding river, they utilised ropes and formed a human bridge to ensure the safe evacuation of all civilians to Chooralmala, a Defence PRO said.
The PRO said earlier on Wednesday morning, soldiers of the 122 Infantry Battalion also recovered two bodies from the debris in Mundakkai village.
The bodies were shifted to civil hospitals for further procedures.
The devastating series of landslides in Wayanad district has claimed the lives of at least 132 people and injured over 200, with the toll expected to rise as rescuers search through the debris.
Ghost towns
Flattened buildings, mud-filled potholes and cracked land dotted with huge boulders – these were the scenes at Mundakkai junction and nearby Chooralmala Town in Kerala’s Wayanad on Wednesday.
Before the massive landslides devastated parts of the hill district in the small hours of Tuesday, the places were nerve centres of activities for people living in those areas.
The tiny junction in Mundakkai and the moderate town in Chooralmala had been dotted by shops and concrete structures.
Known for its scenic interiors and picturesque waterfalls, Chooralmala was a sought-after tourist destination. Soochippara waterfalls, Vellolippara, and Seetha Lake were some of the spots that attracted holidayers to the area.
With mounds of mud and debris here and there and giant boulders brought down by the flood waters from the hilltop, it would be hard for anyone to believe that the place was a busy junction and a town until a day ago.
People could be seen frantically searching for the dead and injured in the damaged structures and beneath the heaps of debris.
The roofs of buildings were flattened, and damaged vehicles were spotted stuck to boulders in many areas.
“We have lost everything… everyone… Nothing is left for us here,” an elderly man could be heard whispering amidst his search in Mundakkai.
He apparently lost his family members and was desperately searching for them, he said.
Many people appeared to be walking with uncertainty over whether their loved ones lay buried beneath the ground they were treading on.
“Mundakkai is now wiped out from the map of Wayanad. Nothing is left here. You can see…there is nothing other than mud and boulders here. We could not even walk properly due to this thick mud…Then how do we search for our beloved ones buried beneath the ground?” another man asked with teary eyes.
According to unofficial figures, there were around 450-500 houses in Mundakkai, but only 34-49 are now left in the area. (PTI)
