Wayanad landslides: Death toll touches 340 as search enters day 5

Wayanad: The number of people who died in Wayanad landslides has risen to 340 as the rescue operation enters day 5 on Saturday. Meanwhile, around 200 people are still missing. As per officials, 210 bodies and 134 body parts have been recovered on Friday, which includes 96 males, 85 females and 29 children.

The number of bodies identified by relatives stood at 146. The administration has completed the post-mortem of 207 bodies and 134 body parts found from the incident site.

According to the officials, 84 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts while 187 have been discharged. 273 people have been brought to hospitals from the incident site.

Centre issues fresh ESA draft for Western Ghats

The Centre has issued a fresh draft notification to declare over 56,800 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six states, including 13 villages in Kerala's landslide-hit Wayanad, an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), inviting suggestions and objections within 60 days.

The notification, issued on July 31, came a day after a series of landslides claimed over 300 lives in Wayanad district.

Scientists from Kerala and beyond attribute the disaster to a deadly mix of forest cover loss, mining in the fragile terrain and climate change.

The draft notification proposes to declare 9,993.7 sq km in Kerala, including 13 villages in two talukas of the landslide-hit district, as ecologically sensitive.

These villages are Periya, Thirunelli, Thondernad, Thrissilery, Kidanganad and Noolpuzha in Mananthavady taluka, and Achooranam, Chundel, Kottappadi, Kunnathidavaka, Pozhuthana, Thariyod and Vellarimala in Vythiri taluka.