Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In a major tragedy, at least 84 people, including women and children, died in a massive landslide in Wayanad, Kerala, triggered by very heavy rains on Tuesday as rescue efforts were mounted on war footing to save hundreds of others trapped in the mud and debris, the media reported.
The landslides left a vast trail of destruction, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted, hampering rescue operations. At least 116 people were rescued until Tuesday afternoon.
Reinforcing the rescue efforts, additional columns comprising 200 soldiers, medical teams, and equipment from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre, Kannur, and the Territorial Army from Kozhikode have been pressed into service, the reports said.
According to the reports available on Tuesday afternoon, at least 84 persons were killed in massive landslides triggered by heavy rains in Wayanad on Tuesday and hundreds are trapped beneath the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities, even as rescue agencies were racing against time to pull out any survivors.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi in Parliament said that over 70 persons were killed in the landslides.
The landslides in the early hours of Tuesday caught the sleeping villagers off-guard. It quickly turned otherwise picturesque hamlets in the hilly district into a picture of gloom, as the natural tragedy left behind a trail of destruction and despair in the southern state.
Rescue teams comprising the Army, Navy, and NDRF are looking for survivors amid rough weather and multiple agencies are working in tandem to provide critical assistance to those affected.
A senior official said that heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in hilly areas of Meppadi in the district, sparking apprehensions of a possible increase in fatalities.
As rescue workers are recovering body parts from the rivers and mud, it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of people killed in the tragedy, an official said, adding it was unclear whether the remains belonged to a single person or multiple individuals.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy. Several injured were also hospitalized.
Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.
Rescue teams were working to evacuate those stranded, with the Indian Army and Navy 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.
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.
TV channels aired heart-wrenching scenes and 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.
Bodies were kept in a row on the floor of a tiny, congested health center in the Meppadi district, which could otherwise accommodate only a few people, and wailing people were seen desperately searching to find loved ones.
Some people broke down at the shock of seeing the cold and injured bodies of their loved ones, while others heaved a sigh of relief that their kin were not among the deceased.
In a heart-wrenching scene, a man covered in mud was engaged in a desperate battle for survival by clinging on to a huge boulder in gushing flood water, as helpless locals could only watch his ordeal and urged authorities to swiftly rescue him.
Meanwhile, the Kerala government sought the assistance of the defense forces to augment rescue operations. A 43-member team from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS has been deployed to aid in the efforts.
To rapidly evacuate stranded persons, two Indian Air Force helicopters from Air Force Station Sulur were activated in the affected area. The Indian Navy’s River Crossing Team from the Ezhimala Naval Academy, Kannur, was also set to join the rescue efforts, the media reported.
Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan’s OSD S Karthikeyan was tasked with coordinating the rescue operations, the CM’s office said in a statement. Principal Director of Local Self-Government Department V Sambasiva Rao was appointed as Special Officer in this regard, the statement said, adding that he will work from Wayanad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the incident and said he spoke to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre to the state.
“Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.
“Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there,” Modi said in a post on social media platform ‘X’.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Chief Minister Vijayan and took stock of the situation.
Shah also assured Vijayan of all possible help from the central government to deal with the situation, an official said.