Wayanad landslides updates: Death toll rises to 148; schools, colleges closed in Kerala after IMD alert

Wayanad landslides: The death toll in the series of landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district climbed up to 148, with dozens still missing.

The death toll in the series of landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district climbed up to 148, with hundreds of others left injured and trapped. The landslides caused massive destruction to houses and roads, uprooted trees, and led to the water bodies to swell. Efforts to rescue and locate the missing persons are still underway with all available resources.

Wayanad: A drone view of a landslide site in Chooralmala, in Wayanad district (PTI)

Here are the latest updates on Wayanad landslides:

1. According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), members of the fire and rescue, civil defence, NDRF, and local emergency response teams are involved in the rescue operations. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode are also at the site. Along with this, two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17 and an ALH, are also coordinating the rescue operations.
2. Over 120 rescued and injured persons are receiving treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad.
3. According to Kerala health minister Veena George, the postmortem of 116 bodies has been completed.
4. In view of the disaster and incessant rainfall, all educational institutions will remain closed on Wednesday, July 31. A holiday has also been declared in 11 districts - Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta, reported Onmanorama.
5. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert in Wayanad and neighbouring districts, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall on July 31 and August 1. The weather department has also predicted heavy rainfall for August 2. “Strong surface winds with speeds reaching 30-40 gusting to 50 kmph are likely to prevail occasionally over Kerala on July 30 and 31,” the IMD said.
6. Odisha CMO on Tuesday said that two persons from the state are missing in the landslides in Wayanad. “The state government is in regular communication with the Kerala government in view of the massive landslide where many lives were affected in Wayanad. As per the information received from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, two rescued Odia people are under treatment while two others are still missing,” the CMO wrote in a post on X.
7. Bodies of several victims, washed downstream by the floods, were found in the waters of the Chaliyar River in Nilambur village - seven kilometres south of Mundakkai. Horrifying videos of the disaster also surfaced on social media.
8. According to local officials, most of the victims worked in tea estates and lived in small homes built along arterial roads or at the base of plantations.
9. Earlier on Tuesday, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a high-level meeting to coordinate rescue operations. During the meeting, the CM assessed the rescue operations and also reviewed the coordination with the central government agencies, the deployment of disaster response forces, health and safety precautions and the facilities in the relief camps. He also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident and said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations.
10. Meanwhile, condolences poured in from across the country, including from President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and former Wayanad lawmaker Rahul Gandhi. United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Shombi Sharp, also expressed grief over the devastating landslides. “On behalf of @UNinIndia, we are deeply saddened by the devastating landslides in Wayanad, Kerala. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all affected, in solidarity with first responders undertaking courageous relief efforts,” Sharp posted on X.