Wayanad Landslide Tragedy: Death Toll Rises to 221 as Rescue Operations Continue

Wayanad, Kerala – The toll in Wayanad rose to 221 on Sunday as rescue personnel from various agencies continued their search for landslide victims under the debris of three villages flattened on the morning of July 30. A release from the chief minister’s office indicated that, apart from the dead, 172 body parts were also retrieved from the affected areas and from the Chaliyar River in the neighboring Malappuram district.

Rescue teams, including the army, NDRF, Kerala Fire and Rescue Services, Coast Guard, civil defense volunteers, and locals, have been scanning various parts of the Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Punchirimattom villages using advanced equipment and modern sensors for signs of survivors and remains of victims.

The multiple landslides, occurring within a space of three hours early on July 30, devastated the three villages, which housed over 400 buildings, including homes, mosques, temples, schools, and shops. Rescue personnel believe that the remains of the victims may have flowed into the Chaliyar River from the Iruvazhinji River, one of its tributaries, which carried most parts of the landslide debris and slush.

To assist in the identification process, the state has begun collecting blood samples from the kin of the deceased to facilitate DNA testing of the bodies and body parts.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the rehabilitation model implemented after the 2019 Puthumala landslide, in which 17 people died, will form the basis of the current rehabilitation plan. “Seven kilometers away from the Puthumala landslide site, plots measuring eight cents and a home were prepared for 63 persons as part of the project called ‘Harsham’. Voluntary organizations and NGOs also collaborated with the state government in implementing the rehabilitation plan. Apart from housing, facilities for farming and leisure were also arranged there,” the CM stated.

In compliance with state government directives, eight unidentified bodies were buried in a mass grave late Sunday in Puthumala following all-faith prayers.

While the government has yet to announce the number of people missing from the tragedy, the chief minister’s office mentioned that the civil supplies department will determine the number by assessing ration card details of the residents in the area.