The death toll in the Wayanad landslides tragedy climbed to 143, said Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday, July 31. Soldiers of the 122 Infantry Battalion of the Territorial Army preparing for the second day of rescue operations move out from their temporary shelter at local schools to calamity-hit areas in Meppadi.
NDRF Commander Akhilesh Kumar said 70 people were rescued 7 on Tuesday night till 10 PM. Rescue operation has to stop due to rain and bad weather. People have taken shelter in resorts and mosques.
"We rescued injured victims from Mundakkai village yesterday. We fear victims might be trapped in collapsed buildings... Till 10 pm last night, we rescued 70 people, after which we had to stop because of bad weather and rain... Since there are many teams working, we cannot give an exact number of deaths, because we only know about the dead bodies our team has recovered... People have been given shelter in a resort and a mosque on the other side of the river. Since rainfall is going on, there are chances of another landslide," said Kumar.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose reached Kerala's Calicut on Tuesday night to take stock of the relief work underway in Wayanad, where a series of landslides left at least 143 people dead and several injured.
The second column of Indian Army troops from Pangode Military Station has arrived in Kozhikode, equipped with rescue gear and ready to assist in ongoing operations.