All those who are alive in the Wayanad district’s landslide-hit villages have been saved in the last three days, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday about the likelihood of survivors, The Indian Express reported.
At least 308 persons have been killed after heavy rain triggered two landslides in the district’s Meppadi area on Tuesday, ANI quoted state health minister Veena George as saying. The toll is likely to increase as rescue operations have entered their third day.
After a review meeting, Vijayan on Thursday said: “It is assumed that nobody is left to be saved in the villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala and Attamala.”
The chief minister added that rescue workers were looking into whether anyone got stranded individually, according to The Indian Express. “What is left is to retrieve bodies from the area.”
According to Vijayan, 29 school children were still missing from two schools in Mundakkai and Chooralmala. He added that 348 buildings had been damaged in the landslides.
On Thursday, the Madras Engineering Group of the Indian Army completed the construction of a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge that will help connect the worst-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, The Hindu reported.
The landslide had washed away the old bridge that connected the two areas.
The new bridge, construction for which began on Wednesday, will enable the movement of heavy machinery, including excavators and ambulances, PTI reported.
As many as 40 teams of rescuers began search operations in the affected areas on Friday, the news agency quoted unidentified officials as saying.
The teams include personnel from the Army, the National Disaster Response Force, the Indian Coast Guard, the Indian Navy, and the Madras Engineer Group, along with locals and a forest department employee.
Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden on Thursday extended his condolences to the families of those killed in the landslides. “We commend the bravery of the Indian service members and first responders supporting the complex recovery effort,” he said in a statement. “We will continue to hold the people of India in our thoughts during this difficult time.”
‘Terrible tragedy for the nation’: Rahul Gandhi
On Thursday, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the landslide-affected areas in the district, calling it a “terrible tragedy” for Wayanad, Kerala and the nation.
“After spending time with the grief-stricken people of Wayanad today, I feel the same profound sorrow I felt the day my father [former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi] died,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“Many here have lost their entire families, making their pain even greater,” Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday. “The tragedy is immense, and the work required to heal Wayanad is substantial.”
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the depth of suffering experienced by the survivors of the landslides was “unimaginable”.
“We owe it to all of them to stand by them through this terrible tragedy,” she said. “We will do all we can to help rebuild their lives and provide them with comfort and support.
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