Wayanad Landslide Toll Crosses 300; Army Builds Bailey Bridge For Rescue, To Use Drones To Find Survivors | Updates

The Rescue teams, including Indian Army, NDRF along with local emergency response departments are working against the time under harsh conditions in Kerala’s Wayanad to search for survivors trapped in collapsed buildings, three days after massive landslides struck the hill district.

The massive landslides which struck Wayanad on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 308 people, according to Kerala Health Minister Veena George. Additionally, approx 300 people are still missing, according to Kerala ADGP M R Ajith Kumar.

Rescue operations, which entered the fourth day on Friday, further widened and also included a drone-based radar to find the survivors.

The rescue efforts have been hindered by several challenges, including treacherous terrain due to destroyed roads and bridges, and a shortage of heavy equipment, making it difficult for rescue teams to clear mud and huge uprooted trees that fell on houses and other buildings.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army has completed the construction of 190-ft-long Bailey Bridge in record time. The bridge will help connect the worst-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala over the Iruvanjippuzha River. The bridge connecting the two places had washed away in the devastating landslide that happened on Tuesday.

Following Are The Latest Updates:

• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday described the landslides in Wayanad district of Kerala as a “terrible tragedy” of such magnitude in a single area that the state has not seen till now, and said that it should be treated differently. Gandhi said that he was going to raise the matter in Delhi and also with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as “this is a different level of tragedy and should be treated differently”.
• George informed that post-mortem procedures of 199 bodies have been conducted so far in Wayanad. In a post on Facebook, she said that additionally, DNA samples of 130 body parts were also taken.
• A Mental Health Disaster Management team has been formed in Kerala to provide psychosocial support to survivors of the devastating landslide at Wayanad. George said a 121-member team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers and counsellors was formed on Tuesday, soon after the disaster struck the hilly district of Kerala.
• Continuing with the rescue and relief operations, Indian Navy ALH of INS Garuda undertook aerial reconnaissance of the affected area and airlifted 12 state police personnel along with rescue eqpt to the disaster area which was inaccessible by road.
• 40 teams of rescuers began search operations in landslide-hit Wayanad district on the fourth day on Friday, officials said. The 40 teams will conduct search operations in six zones of the landslides-hit areas — Attamala and Aaranmala (first), Mundakkai (second), Punchirimattam (third), Vellarimala village (fourth), GVHSS Vellarimala (fifth), and riverbank (sixth).
• Major Seeta Ashok Shelke, a female officer lead Bailey bridge operation to ensure connectivity to landslide hit Mundakkai.
• Indian army in a rescue operation, found four alive individuals – two males and two females – who were stranded in Padavetti Kunnu, Wayanad. The operation was carried out with precision and care, ensuring the safety of all individuals involved. A casualty evacuation was coordinated, and an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) was launched to facilitate the rescue. The swift response and seamless execution of the operation ensured the timely evacuation of the stranded individuals. Unfortunately, one of the rescued females is experiencing difficulties with her leg and is receiving necessary medical attention.
• Indian Air Force is flying a C-130 aircraft from Hindon air base to Wayanad, it will carry specialised Drone Systems along with a team of experts to Wayanad for sub-soil evacuation monitoring. These drone systems will look for people stuck under the soil.
• The Indian Army achieved a major accomplishment with the successful completion of the construction of the 190-ft-long Bailey bridge that will help connect the worst-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala. The construction of the bridge started at 9.30 pm on Wednesday and was completed by 5.30 pm on Thursday. Following the vehicle of the commander, the Army medical unit and a military truck passed through the bridge, after which it was handed over to the civil administration.
• The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall for Wayanad and several other Kerala districts till August 5. In wake of the rain predictions, all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and tuition centres, in Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasragod districts have been ordered to remained closed on Friday.
• Telecom operators are augmenting and restoring connectivity on a war footing in landslide-hit Wayanad district of Kerala to ensure communications between rescue teams, government officials and the public, an official statement said on Thursday. The telecom infrastructure has been augmented and restored to provide continuous coverage in Wayanad by operators BSNL, Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, the statement said.
• The Kerala government requested the state’s scientific community on Thursday to refrain from sharing their opinions and study reports on the Wayanad landslides with the media. Later the order was withdrawn. Vijayan said the news that the SDMA had directed scientific institutions and scientists not to visit the disaster-affected Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad and not to express their opinions was misleading.
• Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that thousands of people are in relief camps and were in mental trauma. “I visited the hospitals and camps. Our priority is to provide psychological support and focus on controlling contagious diseases,” she added.
• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan emphasised the ongoing rescue efforts, and said the coordinated operation, involving various forces, officials, and local volunteers, is focused on rescuing victims and recovering the bodies of the missing. He said the survivors are being housed in relief camps and that the government plans to prioritize the rehabilitation of the disaster-affected persons.
• Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the landslide site at Chooralmala, Wayanad, on Thursday to take a stock of situation in the landslide hit region.
• Rahul, a former MP from Wayanad, said it was a terrible tragedy for Wayanad, Kerala, and the nation. “Today, I feel how I felt when my father died. Here people have not just lost a father but an entire family. We all owe these people respect and affection. The whole nation’s attention is towards Wayanad,” he said.
• Additionally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while expressing her deep sorrow over the incident, said that two Trinamool Congress MPs, Saket Gokhale and Sushmita Dev, would travel to the affected areas in the southern state to provide assistance and support to the families impacted by the disaster.
• Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains struck the picturesque hamlets of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha in the early hours of Tuesday, killing over 290 people, including women and children.

With inputs from agencies