Wayanad landslides: The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, reached at the landslide site in Chooralmala, Wayanad district today to assess the situation after the recent landslides. The devastating landslides have resulted in 172 deaths. They have arrived at Kannur airport.
Former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi along with party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited a relief camp at Meppadi Government Higher Secondary School in Wayanad to meet the survivors of the landslide.
"It is quite a painful experience to see how many people have lost family members and houses", said Rahul Gandhi.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Congress leaders had to postpone their visit to landslide-hit Wayanad due to severe weather conditions. Authorities informed them that landing would be impossible due to continuous rain and adverse weather. The leaders expressed their intention to visit the district at the earliest opportunity.
Wayanad landslides: Death toll continues to rise
The number of people who lost their lives in the devastating series of landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district has climbed to 172, with authorities on Wednesday expressing concern over the fate of 191 people who are still missing. "Rescue operations in Wayanad are continuing in full swing. Our land has never experienced such painful sights before," Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said 144 bodies have been recovered, of which 79 are men and 64 are women. CM Vijayan said efforts to rescue as many people as possible from the disaster zone are progressing well. "In the two-day rescue operation, 1,592 people were rescued. This is the achievement of a coordinated and extensive mission to save so many people in a short span of time," he said.
The Indian Army has set up a Command and Control Centre headed by Major General VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, along with Brig Arjun Segan at Kozhikode for coordinating Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts, a senior official said.
The troops are conducting rescue operations along a six-kilometre stretch of landslide-affected areas.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the mountain district of Wayanad and all northern districts of Kerala. This indicates extremely heavy rainfall is expected in these regions, with over 20 cm of rain anticipated within 24 hours. The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai, a town, and the second in Chooralmala. The massive landslides wreaked havoc in the region, damaging houses and roads, uprooting trees, and swelling water bodies, which hindered rescue operations.
