After the landslide that occurred on Monday in Wayanad district of Kerala, four villages here were completely cleared. So far 256 people have died due to this natural disaster, while a large number of people are also reported to be injured and many people are still feared buried under the debris.
Till now 3 thousand people have been rescued. Amidst heavy rains, rescue operations are facing difficulties due to mud, rocks and large pieces of trees. Army personnel are busy rebuilding the bridge that had collapsed between Churalmala and Mundakkai so that the rescue operation can be expedited. It is expected that this 190 feet bridge connecting Churalmala to Mundakkai will be ready by today afternoon.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi left for Wayanad
Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has left for Wayanad from New Delhi. He is reaching there to take stock of the situation in his parliamentary constituency. Priyanka Gandhi is also going with him. Both will meet the families affected by the landslide. Earlier both the leaders were to go to Wayanad on Wednesday, but due to bad weather they had to postpone their program.
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Four villages completely destroyed
The pictures emerging from Wayanad tell the story of the devastation that has shaken not only Kerala but the entire country. In fact, heavy rains became a disaster in Wayanad on the intervening night of Monday-Tuesday. Landslides occurred three times between 1 am and 5 am and caused devastation in four beautiful villages, Churalamala, Attamala, Noolpuzha and Mundakkai, situated in the catchment of the Cheliyar river below the mountain.
Villages after villages were hit by huge stones and debris. Within a short time, hundreds of houses became piles of debris. Whatever came in the path of flood went away. Even the trees were uprooted. Villages after villages were hit by huge stones and debris. Within a short time, hundreds of houses became piles of debris.
How dangerous that scene of destruction must have been after midnight can be gauged from the fact that the place where the temples used to be was now flattened. So far, bodies of 173 people have been pulled out from the debris, there are still reports of people trapped in landslide areas. Most of the tea garden workers live in these four villages. There is a population of about 22 thousand. When the first landslide occurred at 1 o’clock in the night, people were sleeping in their homes. No one got a chance to escape or run away.
CM Vijayan’s statement
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said a coordinated and massive rescue operation by the NDRF, Army and other agencies ensured that more than 1,500 people were rescued from landslide-hit areas in Wayanad district. Speaking to the media, Vijayan said, “1,592 people were rescued in the two-day rescue operation. This is an achievement of a coordinated and comprehensive operation to save so many people in such a short time.” He said that in the first phase, 206 people from 68 families from the areas surrounding the disaster were shifted to three camps, which included 75 men, 88 women and 43 children.
He said that 1,386 people trapped in the ongoing rescue operation after the landslide were rescued. He said, ‘This includes 528 men, 559 women and 299 children, who have been sent to seven camps. Two hundred and one people were rescued and taken to the hospital, out of which 90 are currently undergoing treatment. Vijayan said that currently 8,017 people are living in 82 relief camps in Wayanad district, which includes 19 pregnant women. There are eight camps in Meppadi, where 1,486 people from 421 families are living.
Army took command
The Indian Army has intensified rescue operations in the landslide affected areas in Wayanad. Under the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operation, the Indian Army has intensified its efforts to rescue people stranded after the devastating landslides in Wayanad. Around 500 personnel including medical staff have been deployed.
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Around 1000 people have been rescued by the Army. The Army set up a “Command and Control Centre” headed by Major General VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area along with Brigadier Arjun Segan in Kozhikode to coordinate HADR efforts. Is.
The troops forming part of the HADR contingents were brought from Kannur, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. Two contingents each from DSC Centre, Kannur and 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) Madras, Kozhikode, totaling 225 personnel, were the first to arrive. Were. Apart from this, two additional HADR contingents including two medical teams with a strength of 135 personnel were moved from Trivandrum to Kozhikode to expedite the rescue and relief operations. Another set of 110 feet bailey bridge from Engineers Stores Depot, Delhi Cantt and a C-17 aircraft carrying three search and rescue dog teams have also landed in Kannur for further use.
483 people were killed in the floods in Kerala 6 years ago
Earlier, 483 people had died in the natural disaster that occurred in Kerala in August 2018. This disaster was called the state’s ‘flood of the century’. Not only did people lose their lives in the tragedy, but property and livelihoods were also destroyed. The central government had declared the 2018 flood as a ‘Disaster of Serious Nature’. After this accident, more than 14.50 lakh people from 3.91 lakh families were rehabilitated in relief camps. A total of 57,000 hectares of agricultural crops were destroyed.