‘Terrible tragedy; lot that needs to be done here’: LoP Rahul Gandhi on Wayanad landslides

WAYANAD: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday visited Wayanad Hospital to meet the injured in the landslide that struck the district on July 30.

Addressing the media, Rahul Gandhi said that it was a terrible tragedy for Wayanad and there is a lot that needs to be done here.

“It is a terrible tragedy for Wayanad, for Kerala and the nation. We have come here to see the situation. It is painful to see how many people have lost family members and their houses. We will try to help and make sure that the survivors get what is their due. A lot of them want to be relocated. There is a lot that needs to be done here. I would like to thank all those including doctors, nurses, administration, and volunteers,” he said.

After spending time with the grief-stricken people of Wayanad today, I feel the same profound sorrow I felt the day my father died. Many here have lost their entire families, making their pain even greater.

The tragedy is immense, and the work required to heal Wayanad is… pic.twitter.com/aLnemda8FP

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 1, 2024

“To me, this is a national disaster for sure. Let us see what the government says,” he added.

Further, the LoP in Lok Sabha said that it is not right to do politics on this issue as people here require help.

“I don’t think this is the time or place to talk about political issues. People here require help. The time right now is to make sure that all assistance comes. I am not interested in politics right now. I am interested in the people of Wayanad,” Rahul said.

“Today, I feel how I felt when my father died. Here people have not just lost a father but an entire family. We all owe these people respect and affection. The whole nation’s attention is towards Wayanad,” he added.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, who accompanied Rahul to Wayanad Hospital said that it’s an immense tragedy.

“We have spent the whole day meeting people who suffered. It’s an immense tragedy. We have met a little boy who was holding on for six hours, trying to save his mother. He managed to save his grandmother but lost his mother. We can only imagine the kind of pain that people are suffering.

We are here to give as much support and comfort as we can. I am also very proud to see how everybody is coming together, not from Kerala but from the whole country,” Priyanka said.

“There has been a big tragedy in Himachal as well. In a very similar situation, 40 people have passed away. Our condolences and wishes for them also to get over this tragedy,” he added.

Meanwhile, 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.

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.

Piyush Anand, Director General of the National Disaster Response Force, said on Thursday that four teams are currently present in Wayanad and they are trying their best to save as many people as possible.

He further mentioned that as of now there are 12 teams in Kerala and four of them are in Wayanad.

“NDRF teams are engaged in rescue work. Our four teams are present there. We rescued people using the rope rescue technique. Indian Army and Air Force are also present there; the Indian Army is trying to build a Bailey bridge there. Air Force has rescued many people and they have also delivered food items to the trapped people. We are trying our best to save as many people as possible. It has been a great cooperative effort as many agencies are involved in this,” the NDRF DG said. (ANI)