The death toll from Tuesday's massive landslides in India's southern state of Kerala had risen to 256, with another 220 persons still missing, confirmed the state's health ministry on Thursday.
Within a span of two hours, three massive landslides hit the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday morning amid heavy rain as the people were still asleep. The tragedy was described as one of the most awful in recent times in the state.
One of the first villages hit by the landslides was Mundakai, where a massive boulder was swept away by the landslide and washed downstream to Churalmala Village. Local residents said that between Mundakai and Churalmala, approximately 80 homes were destroyed, with most being completely demolished. This means that many of the roughly 250 residents in the area have likely been killed by the landslides, with several still missing.
Government officials said that excavation equipment wasn't put in place until Wednesday due to the debris along the path and the bad weather.
Rescuers are currently working to clear the rubbles and searching for victims. Rescue dogs have also been deployed, but the chances of finding any survivors at this point are slim.
"So, on the third day today, the bridge is the biggest thing that is going to happen. In a couple of hours time, the bridge would be ready to be open to traffic, and once the bridge is open, then we would be able to push in more rescue effort and it will change the dynamics of this effort. There are a number of challenges. One is the weather, because the weather can turn anytime. It is dangerous for our own people to be going there and rescuing, so that is one. Secondly is the mud, which is covering everything. So, we could get people out initially, but now when we have to look for buried bodies, we don't know where to look. We have dogs. Dogs are looking for the smell, but otherwise it is a manual labor that is being put in. Now, when the bridge comes up, we may be able to push in excavators, etcetera. We can help speed up this process," said Major General V.T. Mathew, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area.
Thousands of personnel of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy, the National Disaster Response Force, the state-level disaster management body, local police, doctors, medical teams, and other local administration officials have been put into service to carry out the rescue work, and also provide relief and succor to the survivors.
Some local residents are still desperately searching for their missing friends and family members, while others are beginning to flee the area. Some locals are returning to their homes to retrieve belongings they had to leave behind.
Officials are advising the best course of action now is for people to remain in the safety of the relief camps and not listen to any rumors.
The state government has set up relief camps to accommodate those rendered homeless after the natural tragedy. Over 3,500 people are rehabilitated in these relief camps.
Death toll from India's landslides rises to 256: health ministry
Death toll from India's landslides rises to 256: health ministry
Death toll from India's landslides rises to 256: health ministry
