Heavy rains in Wayanad, Kerala, caused flash floods and landslides in the early hours of Tuesday. Hundreds of people living in these areas were buried alive in landslides in Suralmalai, Mundakai, Meppadi and Kardamalai.
Army, National Disaster Response Team, Police, Fire Department and many volunteers and youth are involved in rescuing them. The rescue operations are continuing for the sixth day. So far, the bodies of 357 people who died in the landslide have been recovered.
The search for the 200 missing persons is going on intensively. 200 people have been admitted to hospitals. Thousands more have lost their homes and are housed in camps. Many people were swept away by the flash flood in Sali River following the landslide.
So far, bodies have been recovered from the Sally River. At present the flood in Sali River has receded. Following this, the search for the bodies has been intensified. A search operation is underway in the forest areas along the river from Wayanad to Malappuram. Search and hunt is going on intensively in the forest area under the guidance of the forest department.
5 teams have carried out rescue operations with the help of drones in Saliyaru area of Malappuram. Meanwhile, it has been reported that a total of 128 houses have been washed away in the landslides and floods in Wayanad. Kerala government officials have said that 540 houses in Mundakai area, 600 houses in Suralmalai and 68 houses were washed away in Atta rains.
24 Tamils have died in Kerala landslides. More than 120 Tamils are housed in camps. The condition of 25 others is not yet available. Rescue teams from Tamil Nadu are also involved in the search for them.
