Rescue operations continue in the landslides-hit areas in the north Kerala district of Wayanad on the sixth day with more force and equipment being deployed in spots where chances of recovering bodies are high, state Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said on Sunday.
As per official records, 206 people are still missing from Mundakkai and Chooralmala and the death toll is said to have crossed 240. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports suggests the death toll to be above 360.
Advanced radars, drones, and heavy machinery are being used by the rescue teams.
Minister Riyas said that search operations will continue in the 40-kilometre stretch of the Chaliyar river, which flows through Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts, as many bodies and remains were recovered from it near Nilambur in Malappuram.
The latest efforts by various agencies, including the Navy, police, Fire and Rescue teams, and the NDRF, along with local residents, recovered three more bodies and 13 body parts from the river on Saturday.
These recoveries bring the total number of bodies found in the Chaliyar River to 73 and body parts to 132, making a grim total of 205, according to officials.
"The recovered bodies comprise 37 men, 29 women, 3 boys, and 4 girls," said an official in Malappuram district.
Stepping up the rescue operations, hundreds of personnel from various forces, including the NDRF, K-9 Dog Squad, Army, Special Operation Group, Madras Engineering Group, Police, Fire Force, Forest Department, Navy, and Coast Guard were deployed in the disaster-struck areas of Wayanad.
Private companies specialising in the field of search and rescue and volunteers also joined the operations in which rescuers braved the rains and waterlogged terrain to look for survivors under massive boulders and huge logs that were deposited in residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala in the landslides.
In Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas, devastated by the landslides, that were segregated into six search zones, the operations will continue in the same way as in the last few days with more force and equipment being allocated to spots where chances of finding remains under the debris were high, the Minister told a TV channel.
Regarding the rehabilitation of the survivors, Riyas said discussions need to be held with everyone, especially to the views of those living in the relief camps and those admitted to the hospitals.
"Priority will be given to the views of those in the camps and hospitals," he said.
But the discussion will not be held now, it will take place once the survivors are in a state of mind to talk about it, he added.
The Minister said immediate interventions will be carried out to help those who have lost identification and other important records.
Steps will also be taken to ensure the education of children in the landslides-hit areas is not hampered in any manner, Riyas said.
According to the district administration, till Saturday night, 219 bodies and over 143 body parts were recovered with 206 persons missing.
Advanced radars, drones and heavy machinery were used by rescue teams on Saturday, the fifth day of the tragic landslides that killed hundreds in Wayanad district, to locate survivors or deceased.
The state government had also announced plans to establish a new township to rehabilitate displaced victims.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday appreciated the efforts of the police and the fire force in rescue and relief works in the wake of the landslide.
"In the face of this tragedy, the police and the fire force are all engaged in rescue operations with sheer determination. We have seen our police force show exemplary courage in making daring attempts to rescue people from there," Vijayan said.
The CM said the state is yet to recover from the "catastrophic" incident.
"The landslide in Wayanad is the biggest disaster in the history of Kerala. It is also one of the major national-level disasters. The people of Chooralmala and Mundakkai are still reeling from the loss of an entire region in the natural disaster," he said.
