Wayanad landslide: Nepali child among 45 dead; 4 villages cut off

 A major rain-induced landslide wreaked havoc in Kerala’s Wayanad district on Tuesday, killing at least 45 people, including a Nepali national, while hundreds were feared trapped.

Nisha Anand, Business Standard,  New Delhi, Jul 30 2024 : At least two children, including a one-year-old child of a Nepali family, were among those killed in the landslide in Wayanad that cut off at least four villages: Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said two Air Force helicopters had departed for the landslide-hit hilly district to airlift the affected families.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Kerala CM on the crisis and assured of all the help from the Centre. The PM's office announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

(Agencies: Heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday, leaving at least 45 persons dead and sparking apprehensions of possible increase in fatalities due to many people feared trapped under the debris. 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.

The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy.

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said. Rescue teams were working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded, with the Indian Army joining the efforts. Besides the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the state government has also deployed disaster response teams from the police and the fire force to affected areas. Hundreds are feared to be trapped in the landslides, but authorities have not confirmed this.

Frantic phone calls made by people desperately pleading for help after being trapped under destroyed houses and piles of debris highlighted the intensity of the deadly landslide.

Television channels aired heartwrenching phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to travel due to washed-away bridges and flooded roads.

In one such conversation, a woman, apparently a native of Chooralmala town, was heard crying aloud, saying someone in her house was trapped under marsh and debris and they could not pull her out.)

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

Latest updates on the Wayanad landslide in Kerala:

1) The deaths were reported in Chooralmala and Thondernad areas of Wayanad, situated some 460 kilometres north of the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram.

2) The authorities have launched a search and rescue operation and are making efforts to move the affected people to a safe shelter. UDF Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) T Siddique said the authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from the Mundakkai area.

3) "Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides… NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places," he said.

Rahul Gandhi speaks with Kerala CM over Wayanad landslide

4) Former Wayanad Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi expressed grief at the crisis and offered his condolences to the bereaved families. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi said he had spoken to the Chief Minister and would hold talks with the Centre to ensure all possible assistance to Wayanad.

“I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon,” he said.

5) The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said that the Fireforce and NDRF teams were already at the spot while additional NDRF teams were being mobilised to speed up the rescue efforts.

6) The officials said that the ongoing heavy rainfall in the region has hampered the rescue efforts, and the operation is likely to take a while.

7) Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that heavy rainfall is likely to continue in the state's northern hilly areas.

8) Initial reports suggest that as many as 29 houses have been partially damaged in Wayanad, and 700 people have been moved to shelter camps.

Heavy rainfall prediction in Wayanad on July 30

9) The rainfall has further contributed to the rise in water levels of rivers flowing through the region, posing an additional challenge.

10) The districts of Wayanad and Kannur are on a ‘red’ alert for today, the weather body said, predicting extremely heavy rainfall in the region. A ‘red’ alert indicates the possibility of over 20 cm of rainfall in a region during a period of 24 hours.

(With inputs from agencies)