At least sixty-three people, including a one-year-old child, lost their lives, and hundreds are feared trapped following devastating landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Chooralmala and Mundakkayi in Kerala’s Wayanad district early Tuesday morning.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has mobilized all government agencies to join the rescue operations. Multiple ministers have been dispatched to Wayanad to coordinate the efforts on the ground. According to several additional reports, 250 people have been rescued from the location of the disaster out of which 116 have been admitted to the hospital for treatment.
Lawmaker T Siddique reported that a crucial bridge connecting Mundakkayi to other parts of the state has been destroyed, complicating access for rescue personnel. He emphasized the urgency of alternative arrangements and has communicated with Chief Minister Vijayan to seek the intervention of the Army if necessary. “Choppers must be pressed into service to rescue people,” Siddique urged.
In response to the crisis, the state health department and the National Health Mission have established a control room and issued helpline numbers (9656938689 and 8086010833) for those needing assistance. The State Disaster Management Authority has deployed two teams from the Kannur Defense Security Corps to Wayanad for rescue and relief operations.
Due to the severe weather conditions, all educational institutions in Wayanad and nine other districts had already been closed.