Commandos search Wayanad forests; Death toll hits 402 as remains found at Pothukal | VIDEO

Kalpetta: An Air Force helicopter carrying a special mission team from Kozhikode has flown to the Soochipara-Pothukal forest area on Tuesday. The helicopter landed on SKMJ school grounds in Kalpetta and departed at noon with army personnel. Although the search mission was initially scheduled to start at 9 am, it was delayed due to poor weather conditions which would be challenging for the helicopter.

The team consists of specially trained commandos and soldiers from the Special Operations Group (SOG), accompanied by forest department staff serving as guides. Lt. Colonel Rishi Radhakrishnan from the Thiruvananthapuram Pangode Camp leads the mission.

The operation involves traversing three waterfalls to reach Pothukal, a high-risk task. It comes under the Nilambur and Meppadi Forest Divisions, known for their dense wildlife population. Apart from the rugged terrain, attention is also turning to new search areas beginning at Punchiri Mattam and moving downward.

The first team comprises two forest department employees and four army personnel, while the second group includes four commandos and two army personnels, with the forest department employees serving as guides. The first group was airlifted to the search area. After dropping them off, the helicopter returned to pick up a second group of four commandos and two soldiers.

Two body parts were found at Munderi region in Pothukal, Nilambur on Tuesday. The estimated death toll from the disaster has reached 402, with 227 deaths officially confirmed.