Wayanad Landslides: Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Visit Affected Chooralmala

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, visited the landslide-affected Chooralmala in Kerala’s Wayanad on Thursday. They were accompanied by Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal.

Two massive landslides struck Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad in the early hours of July 30, causing extensive destruction, loss of life, and injury to hundreds, according to the Kerala Revenue Department.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a high-level meeting today attended by leaders of all political parties, state ministers, and other officials. He stated that the main priority is the rescue of missing persons, with rehabilitation efforts to follow as soon as possible.

“Our focus is on rescuing those who are isolated and stranded. I appreciate the efforts of the Army personnel, who have informed us that most of the trapped individuals have been rescued. The difficult task of bringing down machinery to rescue those trapped under the soil has been eased by the construction of a bridge,” CM Vijayan said while addressing the media in Wayanad.

He also mentioned that rescue operations will continue in the river to search for missing individuals, and emphasized that the next focus will be on rehabilitation.

“Rescued individuals are being temporarily housed in camps. Rehabilitation will be carried out as soon as possible, as we have done in previous situations. I request the media to avoid entering the camps and shooting inside. It is important to protect the privacy of those affected,” he added.

NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi reported that over 200 deaths have been confirmed, and bodies are being recovered as of Thursday. He noted that there are sufficient teams of central forces on-site to undertake the rescue operations.

The Indian Army has intensified its rescue operations, successfully evacuating several individuals from affected areas. Troops from the Army’s Madras Sappers constructed a 100-foot bridge overnight, which has now been opened to the public. This will further aid rescue operations and assist in quickly evacuating stranded individuals.

(With ANI Inputs)

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