Wayanad Landslide: 320 Dead, 206 Missing, Children Rescued From Cave; Government To Build Township For Survivors
The Mundakkai and Chooralmala of Wayanad district rescue operations were continuing for the sixth day. In these landslide-affected areas, the bodies found so far were 320, and 206 people are still missing. More than 1,300 rescuers with heavy machinery and advanced equipment are involved in the operations to find survivors or recover the remains of the deceased. According to State Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, more forces and equipment are being sent to places where the chances of finding bodies are higher.
On Saturday, following the review meeting, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that as part of the State's policy of ensuring excellent rehabilitation, the government will build a township for survivors of the catastrophe that has rendered hundreds homeless. The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah announced that his government would construct 100 houses for the landslide victims as a gesture of support for the neighboring State.
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Rescue Operations Surge
By the time the officials reached the children, they were in very poor shape from hunger. The kids had almost lost hope. When the officials arrived at the cave where the children were trapped, the kids hugged them tightly, like they would their mothers. The officials were kind and gave the children the comfort they needed. The children had been starving in a cave under Soochipara Falls near Attamala.
Rescue and relief operations gathered momentum on Saturday with the Indian Air Force airlifting one ZAWER and four REECO radars from Siachen and Delhi to pace up the process. Altogether, 40 teams are involved in the search operations in the landslide-affected areas that have been divided into six zones: Attamala and Aaranmala as zone one, Mundakkai as zone two, Punchirimattam as zone three, Vellarimala village as zone four, GVHSS Vellarimala as zone five, and the riverbank as zone six. They include army, NDRF, DSG, Coast Guard, Navy, MEG, three locals, and one forest employee. A three-pronged search is on way along the 40 km Chaliyar River.
