CHOORALMALA (WAYANAD): Amid the continuing efforts to find those missing in the devastating landslides in Wayanad, bodies of eight unidentified victims were laid to rest at a mass burial site at Puthumala, near Meppadi, on Sunday, the sixth day following the calamity.
Around 30 graves have been dug at a 64-cent burial ground at Harrisons Malayalam Estate in Puthumala which still carries memories of the 2019 landslide. The eight bodies were buried after official procedures under the Disaster Management Act.
Meanwhile, hopes of finding those still missing in the landslides at Chooralmala and Mundakkai are fading with each passing day.
With around 200 people yet to be traced, the state government has initiated the process to compare and match the DNA samples collected from unidentified bodies and body parts with those of the family members of missing persons. A medical team will collect blood samples from the relatives of the missing persons for the purpose.
Despite extensive efforts in the landslide-affected areas and along a 40-km stretch of river through the forest, only two bodies and 10 body parts were recovered on Sunday. The official death toll in the calamity stands at 221— 97 men, 87 women and 37 children. However, there are reports that the number of deceased exceeds 300.
The mass burial ground at Puthumala — where five victims of 2019 landslide are yet to be traced — was arranged under the aegis of the Meppadi grama panchayat. A large number of people gathered at the burial site to pay last respects and offer prayers to the victims.
“The panchayat has set up the burial ground. The unidentified bodies were buried after offering prayers of all religions,” said Nasar K B, standing committee chairman of the Meppadi grama panchayat.
Advanced radars & drones put in use as 40 teams conduct search across 6 zones
On Sunday, the search operations continued at Chooralmala and Mundakkai, with more personnel and equipment being deployed in areas having a higher likelihood of recovering bodies.
Advanced radars, drones, and heavy machinery are being used by the rescue teams.
Forty teams are conducting search operations across six zones — Attamala and Aaranmala; Mundakkai; Punjiirimattom; Vellarimala village; GVHSS Vellarmala; and the riverbank. These teams include personnel from the Army, NDRF, DSG, Coast Guard, Navy, and MEG.
A three-pronged search is also under way along the 40-km stretch of the river, which flows through Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts, as many bodies and body parts were recovered from the river near Nilambur in Malappuram. As many as 37 bodies have been handed over to relatives from the Nilambur Government District Hospital.
172 bodies identified by relatives
166 body parts recovered so far
Postmortem conducted on 220 bodies
91 under treatment at hospitals in Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts
Carcasses, trees found in sea
Even as efforts continue to trace those missing, fishermen off the Ponnani coast are reported to have spotted trees and animal carca-sses floating in the sea.
