After reviewing the damage caused by landslides in Wayanad on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured full support for Kerala’s recovery efforts, emphasizing that “working together would lead to good results.”
Modi arrived at Kannur airport at 11 a.m. and flew to Wayanad by air force helicopter, taking an aerial tour of the affected areas including Meppadi, Punchiri Mattam, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, and Attamala. He was accompanied by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi.
He then traveled 22 km by road to Chooralmala, one of the hardest-hit villages, where he walked through the village with local officials. Modi used a Bailey bridge built by the Indian Army to reach Mundakkai and Attamala, which had been cut off by the landslides. He interacted with defense and National Disaster Response Force personnel during his visit.
Modi also visited a relief camp in Meppadi, meeting survivors and doctors. He spoke with Ayyapan, who lost nine family members, and consoled him. At the Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences, he met Anil Kumar, who lost his son and grandmother, and offered support.
In a meeting with the state government, Chief Minister Vijayan requested financial aid for both rehabilitation and climate change efforts. Preliminary damage assessments suggest costs in the thousands of crores, and Vijayan urged Modi to declare the landslide a national disaster.