Wayanad landslides: Rescue operations speed up with new metal bridge, death toll rises to 308

The search for survivors and bodies after devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad is expected to speed up on Friday, after the army completed construction of a bridge that will help in transportation of heavy equipment to the affected area.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the death toll in the region has risen to 308, with 195 bodies and 113 body parts recovered so far.

Heavy vehicles had begun to ply on the 190-foot (58-metre) bridge constructed by army engineers, and drones with earth-sensing technology to find bodies buried in mud are being brought in, the army said in a statement.

Rescue teams have deployed additional forces, including swimming experts, to focus on the Chaliyar river and its river banks where bodies are likely to be found.

The affected area has been divided into six zones based on accessibility and recovery prospects: Zone 1 – Punchirimattom region, Zone 2 – Mundekkai region, Zone 3 – School area, Zone 4 – Chooralmala town area, Zone 5 – Village area, and Zone 6 – Downstream.

The hope for finding survivors in the debris is low and authorities said they are most likely to only retrieve bodies. However, finding survivors has not been ruled out.

Experts said the area had received heavy rain in the last two weeks that softened the soil before extremely heavy rainfall on Monday triggered the landslides.

Nearly 1,600 people have been rescued from hillside villages and tea and cardamom estates during the last two days, according to authorities, with nearly 350 buildings damaged.

Former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi visited the affected sites and shelter camps in Wayanad on Thursday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a high-level meeting in Wayanad to take assess the situation. He said that rescue will be the main priority and that rehabilitation will be done at the earliest.

The Chief Minister’s appeal for contributions to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) has received significant support, with donations pouring in from various quarters to aid the affected areas.