Wayanad landslide survivor recounts horror as death toll rises to 158

WAYANAD: Survivors of the Wayanad landslide have now been moved to various relief camps across the district. At one such relief camp set up in a school, the survivors recounted the horror of the landslide. Meanwhile, the death toll in Wayanad landslides has risen to 158, said the State Revenue Department.

Sarojini, a resident of Chooranmala and a survivor of the Wayanad landslide, shared her terrifying experience. She was alone at home at night when the landslide struck. “I couldn’t open the door as it was jammed. I yelled for help. After some time, people came and broke the door with an axe to rescue me,” she recounted.

Sarojini’s house was swept away in the second landslide, leaving her without a home, land or livelihood. “I don’t know what to do,” she said. Sarojini added that her relatives were staying in Mundakkai. Unfortunately, all of them perished; two bodies have been recovered, while 6-7 others remain missing.

#WATCH | Kerala: Visuals from a relief camp in Meppadi where essential items for the victims of Wayanad landslide are being collected.

The current death toll in Wayanad landslide stands at 143 and several people are missing. pic.twitter.com/CeDiKu7HCl

— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024

“I stay alone at my home, at night I felt like my bed is shaking and heard loud noises…I tried to call my neighbours but nobody picked up the phone…I called my son who stays in Coimbatore and he asked me to climb on top of the house and stay there. I couldn’t open the door as it was jammed. I yelled for help…after some time people came and broke the door with an axe and rescued me…when the second landslide came, my house also got swept away”, she said.

“My relatives stayed in Mundakkai. They all died, two of their bodies have been recovered, rest 6-7 are missing. Now I don’t have a home, or land and can’t go for a job either. I won’t be able to build a home. I don’t know what to do”, she added.

Doctor Hasna, who is attending to the survivors, said that many people are experiencing stress-related issues such as headaches and high blood pressure. She added that the medical team is providing medicines, but further treatment will have to wait until they recover from the shock.

“I have come to this relief camp because in the morning many people in the camp felt unwell. Most people are having issues like headaches, and high BP, mainly because of stress. We are giving them medicines…people are in shock so for the first 3 days, we can’t do much, we will do the further treatment once they become normal,” Doctor Hasna said.

Meanwhile, at a relief camp in Meppadi, essential items are being collected for the victims. The Commandant of the Para Regimental Training Centre, Brigadier Arjun Seagan, said that 500-600 personnel from the NDRF, army, state police, forest officials, and volunteers have been carrying out the rescue operations on Wednesday.

Earlier today, the Indian Army ramped up its rescue operations and successfully evacuated more than 1,000 people from affected areas to safety. The Army’s Southern Command said that up to 1,000 personnel have been rescued so far using man-made bridges and human effort.

Despite adverse climatic conditions and poor visibility, Indian Air Force Helicopters also conducted search & rescue operations in Wayanad rescuing stranded people from a narrow strip of land.

At least two massive landslides struck Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday morning, causing widespread destruction. The first occurred in Mundakkai, a town, and the second in Chooralmala. The massive landslides wreaked havoc in the region, damaging houses and roads, uprooting trees, and swelling water bodies, which hindered rescue operations. Relief and rescue efforts are currently underway.

The first landslide occurred at 2 am on July 30, followed by another at 4.10 am, causing immense damage to homes and livelihoods. Many areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, have been isolated, and roads have been washed away. The Vellarmala GVH School was completely buried. (ANI)