Efforts to ramp up rescue operations are underway in the aftermath of two major landslides that hit Wayanad on Tuesday morning, causing widespread devastation. Here are the top ten updates:
1. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday headed to Wayanad to take stock of the situation in the district rocked by devastating landslides. The death toll has risen to 167 and hundreds are missing.
2. “Priyanka and I were scheduled to visit Wayanad tomorrow to meet with families affected by the landslide and take stock of the situation. However, due to incessant rains and adverse weather conditions, we have been informed by the authorities that we will not be able to land. I want to assure the people of Wayanad that we will visit as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide all necessary assistance. Our thoughts are with the people of Wayanad at this difficult time,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X on July 30.
3. An all-party meeting led by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is scheduled in the hill district on Thursday. The meeting comes as search and rescue operations, involving multiple agencies and armed forces, continue in areas of Wayanad affected by landslides. State ministers currently stationed in the district, along with MLAs from Wayanad and leaders of various political parties, are expected to participate in the meeting, the district administration confirmed.
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4. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolence messages to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu over landslides in Wayanad, Kerala, that took the lives of over a 160 people and injured many more.
The Russian Embassy in India shared a post on X and said, “President of #Russia Vladimir Putin sent a condolence message to President of India Droupadi Murmu & Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi over the tragic consequences of the landslides in Kerala: ✍🏻 Kindly accept the most sincere condolences over the tragic consequences of the landslides in Kerala. Please convey words of sympathy and support to the near and dear ones of the deceased as well as wishes for a speedy recovery of all injured.”
5. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who is currently in Kerala to oversee rescue operations and support the treatment of the injured, has announced that he will donate his entire month's salary towards disaster relief efforts in landslide-affected Wayanad. Raj Bhavan Sources confirmed this gesture.
6. The death toll from the devastating landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district reached 167 on Wednesday, with 191 people reported missing. Rescue teams intensified efforts to locate survivors trapped under debris on the second day of search operations.
7. Makeshift bridges were hastily constructed over swollen rivers, and excavators worked continuously to clear debris and boulders from landslide-affected villages in Wayanad.
8. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Wednesday expressed condolences over the loss of lives due to the landslides at Wayanad in Kerala, describing the devastation caused by the disaster as an “unimaginable tragedy”.
9. According to the Ministry of Defence, "The Army has set up a "Command and Control Centre" headed by Major General VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, along with Brigadier Arjun Segan, at Kozhikode, for coordinating HADR efforts."
10. In Mundakkai, which was isolated from the rest of Wayanad district, makeshift bridges and pulleys were set up over rivers in spate to evacuate stranded individuals and transport bodies recovered from destroyed homes to ambulances.
(With inputs from agencies)
