"Main priority rescue, next focus rehabilitation": Kerala CM Vijayan on Wayanad landslides

Wayanad (Kerala), Aug 01: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday that the main priority now is the rescue of the missing persons and rehabilitation will be initiated at the earliest.

The Chief Minister chaired a high-level meeting today that was attended by leaders of all political parties, state ministers, and other officials.

Two massive landslides struck Mundakkai and Churalmala in Wayanad in the early hours of July 30, causing extensive destruction, loss of lives, and injury to hundreds, as per the Kerala Revenue Department.

"Our focus is to rescue those who were isolated and stranded. I appreciate the efforts of the Army personnel. They have informed us that most of the trapped individuals have been rescued. Bringing down machinery to rescue those trapped under the soil was difficult and building the bridge eased the efforts. The construction of Bailey Bridge has been mostly completed," CM Vijayan said while addressing the media in Wayanad.

The Chief Minister said that rescue operations will continue in the river to search for missing people and highlighted that the next focus will be on rehabilitation.

"Rescued people are temporarily shifted to camps. Rehabilitation works will be done at the earliest, as we have done in earlier situations too. I request that the media avoid meeting people and shooting inside the camps. You may talk to them outside the camps, it is important to protect the privacy of the individuals," he said.

"Most important is giving psychological support to the survivors. We have to avoid the spread of the epidemic. Not only human beings, but many animals also died in the calamity. Have to bury them all properly. A committee of four ministers will camp here and coordinate activities. For those who lost certificates, the government will re-issue them," he added.

NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi said that over 200 deaths have been declared and bodies were being recovered on Thursday following the landslides in Kerala's Wayanad. He said that there are sufficient teams of central forces in the affected site to undertake the rescue operations.

The Indian Coast Guard Disaster Relief Team, in coordination with the Indian Army, Indian Navy, NDRF, SDRF, and District Administration, is on the ground in Vellari Village in Wayanad. The officials said that rescue teams are actively searching for missing persons and providing urgent aid and support to the affected. Teams are on the ground, providing aid and support to those affected. Our priority is to ensure safety and swift recovery.

The Indian Army has ramped up its rescue operations, successfully evacuating several people from affected areas to safety. Troops from the Army's Madras Sappers constructed an improvised 100-foot bridge overnight and opened it to the public. This will further aid the rescue operations and assist in quickly evacuating stranded people.