Wayanad landslides: 160 bodies recovered, rescue operations underway | 10 points

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 191 people were still missing, rescue workers are making efforts to find them.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that rescue operations in Wayanad were underway at full scale in landslides-affected areas.

Wayanad : Rescue operations underway after landslides were triggered by heavy monsoon rains. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

He said that 191 people were still missing and rescue workers were making efforts to find them. Wayand district administration confirmed that rescue workers have recovered 160 bodies so far.

The Indian Army’s six columns, along with NDRF SDRF and district civil administration, are conducting rescue operations in the area and a temporary bridge on the Meppadi-Chooralmala Road will be built after deploying certain earth-moving equipment.

Here's what we know so far about the Wayanad landslides

1. Home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the Centre had given an early warning to the Kerala government about heavy rainfall and landslides on July 23. He said that the warnings continued for another three days and on July 26, it was told that there would be a heavy downpour of more than 20 centimetres which can trigger landslides and slush, risking people's safety.
2. In response to home minister Amit Shah's statement, the Kerala chief minister said it's not the time for blame. He said that no red alerts were issued for Wayanad before the landslides.
3. Indian Army has successfully evacuated over 55,00 people from the affected areas. Approximately 600 personnel from the NDRF, Army, state police, forest officials and volunteers have been involved in the rescue operations.
4. The weather department has forecast additional rain for Wayanad and several other districts in the coming days. Alerts have been issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasargod. Meanwhile, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam are under an orange alert.
5. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi cancelled their planned visit to Wayanad as authorities advised them that poor weather conditions would make landing impossible.
6. Opposition's INDIA bloc parties, including Congress and the Left, demanded in the Rajya Sabha that the natural calamity in Wayanad be declared a national disaster.
7. Prime Minister's Office has announced ₹2 lakh in compensation for the families of those who died in the landslides in Wayanad and ₹50,000 for those injured.
8. Naval teams and Air Force helicopters have been deployed to support the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army in the rescue operation.
9. Kerala government has set up 45 relief camps in Wayanad district, accommodating over 4,000 people. The state health department has also established a control room for assistance in case of emergency.
10. The district administration of Wayanad is gathering data on those affected by the landslides by reviewing ration cards, voter IDs and other government documents.