Wayanad landslide: 106 dead, rescue teams face rain, terrain challenges | 10 points

Kerala landslide: The landslides hit the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad. The authorities have set up three camps in the district.

At least 106 people died in the landslide in Kerala's Wayanad on Tuesday. Kerala chief secretary Dr V Venu said the situation remains “very grave” because the area where the landslide struck is isolated and the rescue and relief teams have not been able to cover the entire affected region due to rain and difficult terrain. Dozens are still missing.

This photograph provided by PRO Defense Kochi shows Indian army soldiers engaged in rescue operations at landslide affected village in Wayanad. (AP)

Here are 10 points on the Kerala landslide:

1. Dr V Venu confirmed that over 70 bodies were found. The number of casualties could rise, he added. "The situation continues to remain very grave...We have about 70 plus bodies that have reached our hospitals. Steps are being taken for inquest and postmortem. But we have news that more people are missing and the casualty number may go up," Dr V Venu said.
2. Kerala's top officer also informed the media that the rescue team had been facing problems in reaching the affected areas. "The base problem is that one region is entirely isolated and we have not been able to reach across in large portion of this area. A small team has managed to cross the river and reach but we will need to send many more to provide help and to start rescue operations on the far side of the river," he said.
3. The officer said the helicopters couldn't take off because of the Red rain alert issued by the IMD. "Today and tomorrow is a Red Alert, so our helicopters can't take off. So, air rescue or air-dropping materials and all that has to be postponed," he said.
4. The officer further said that the only option to rescue trapped people was to reach them by surface. "That is hampered because there is a very strong water current and the bridge has collapsed," he added.
5. The administration is also taking the help of the Indian Army. "We have received offers of support from other formations as well," the officer said.
6. S Shankar Pandian, deputy commandant, NDRF, said several teams are pressed into the operation. "Our teams are located at various locations in Wayanad. Even in Kozhikode, a landslide was suspected, NDRF team was deployed there. Already 3 teams of NDRF are in Wayanad. We are doing our best to carry out rescue efforts. We are facing difficulty in reaching interior parts in the landslide-affected area," he said.
7. The landslides hit the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad. The authorities have set up three relief camps in Wayanad. Kerala forest minister Saseendran reached the affected area to assess the damage and coordinate immediate response measures.
8. Earlier, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan held discussions with top Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) officials on the situation in the landslide-affected Wayanad areas.
9. Indian Air Force has deployed two choppers- a Mi-17 and one ALH Dhruv- for the rescue and relief operations in Wayanad.
10. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin spoke to Pinarayi Vijayan on the landslides and assured him of the state's full support in rescue and relief efforts.

With inputs from PTI, ANI