45 relief camps have been set up in Wayanad, accommodating 3,069 persons

Wayanad: The death toll from the landslides in Wayanad district has risen to 200, with hundreds still feared trapped under the debris.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, with the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority personnel working around the clock to locate the missing in Mundakkai and Chooramala areas of Vellarimala village under Meppadi Panchayat. Seventy houses were destroyed, Vellaramala GVHSS School suffered partial damage, and several shops were either fully or partially damaged in Chooramala town.

Over 120 rescued and injured individuals are receiving treatment in various hospitals across Wayanad. Kerala Health Minister Veena George confirmed that postmortems on 116 bodies have been completed.

In response to the disaster and continuing rainfall, all educational institutions were closed today, and holidays were declared in 11 districts: Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta.

Orange alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘Orange’ alert for Wayanad and neighbouring districts, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall on July 31 and Aug. 1, with more heavy rain expected on Aug. 2. The IMD also warned of strong surface winds reaching 30-40 km/h, gusting to 50 km/h, over Kerala on July 31.

Currently, 63 bodies are being held at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Meppadi, four at a private hospital in Meppadi and 48 at Nilambur District Hospital in Malappuram.

A temporary bridge linking Chooramala to Mundakkai has been constructed by the military, and the Indian Air Force has airlifted the first group of injured and elderly people. Evacuation efforts from Mundakkai are ongoing through ropeways, temporary bridges and helicopters. NDRF, military personnel from Kannur, Pangode and Chennai, as well as naval forces from the Indian Naval Academy, continue their search and rescue operations.

Sources report that, 22 students from GVHSS, Vellaramala, are missing out of the total 582 students. School authorities are attempting to contact all students through their teachers, but have received no response from these 22 students.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the situation as heartbreaking. He visited the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) office to review the relief and rescue efforts at Chooramala.

Vijayan noted that an army team led by a Lieutenant Colonel crossed a nearby river to reach the Mundakkai market area, from where several stranded individuals have been rescued. Bodies and body parts have also been recovered from the Chaliyar River in Malappuram district.

The first landslide occurred at 2 am on Tuesday, followed by a second landslide at 4:10 am. Areas including Meppadi and Mundakkai, Chooramala were isolated, and roads in Chooramala and Mundakkai were  washed away.

Over 45 relief camps have been set up in Wayanad, accommodating 3,069 people. A total of 118 camps are operational across the State, housing 5,531 individuals.