Wayanad landslides: Rescue operations continue in Chooralmala on 7th Day

Kalpetta: The rescue operations in the Wayanad landslide-affected areas are ongoing in the Chooralmala region for the seventh consecutive day on Monday.

The search efforts in Chooralmala are particularly focused on areas near the Bailey Bridge and the river. As many bodies have been recovered and the remaining people have been moved to relief camps, the rescue team has decided not to conduct large-scale search operations in the upper part of Mundakkai on Monday.

ADGP M R Ajith Kumar informed Mathrubhumi News that a committee will be formed for the search operations. This committee will include members from the district administration, local self-governing bodies, local residents, police and the army.

The committee will create a checklist to identify the total number of houses and residents in the affected area and conduct a search to locate those missing in the landslide. After each area is thoroughly searched, the team will move to the next zone. The police have requested the district administration to form the committee based on instructions from the army, with a final decision expected on Monday.

More than 200 people are still missing. IG K Sethuraman announced that a special branch team has been appointed to identify the number of missing persons. He also informed Mathrubhumi

News that four food stalls have been set up to provide meals to the rescue workers.

Drone-assisted search operations began in Chooralmala on Sunday morning. A drone-based intelligent buried object detection system is being used to locate bodies buried under the debris. The team includes six members led by Rt Major General Indrabalan and Chief Technical Officer Rajib Roy. The search operations make use of equipment with advanced technology, sensors and radars from the army. Additionally, a 49-member team from the Tamil Nadu Fire Rescue Team is also involved in the search operations.

Travel restrictions have been imposed on people entering the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas. Only 1,500 people are allowed to cross the Bailey Bridge between 6 am and 9 am everyday. Volunteers are required to register before entering disaster areas. Food and water will be provided to the volunteers at the registration counter. All volunteer information is recorded by the police and army before they are sent to the affected regions.

So far, 221 deaths have been officially confirmed due to the landslide. Two bodies were recovered from the Parappanpara and Nilambur regions on Sunday. Seven body parts were found in Nilambur and one in the Soochippara area.

Search operations are still ongoing in Chaliyar and surrounding areas to recover the remaining bodies.