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Heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday, leaving at least 45 persons dead and sparking apprehensions of possible increase in fatalities due to many people feared trapped under the debris.
Calamity struck in the early hours of Tuesday, catching the sleeping victims off-guard. Frantic calls for help were made and the rescue personnel were racing against time to pull out survivors.
According to the district collector Meghasree D R, the latest toll stood at 45. In connection with the landslide in Chooralmala she confirmed that 36 deaths have been reported. Additionally, nine bodies swept away by the Chaliyar River were recovered in Malappuram.
The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy.
Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.
Rescue teams were working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded, with the Indian Army joining the efforts. Besides the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the state government has also deployed disaster response teams from the police and the fire force to affected areas.
Hundreds are feared to be trapped in the landslides, but authorities have not confirmed this.
Frantic phone calls made by people desperately pleading for help after being trapped under destroyed houses and piles of debris highlighted the intensity of the deadly landslide.
Television channels aired heartwrenching phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to travel due to washed-away bridges and flooded roads.
In one such conversation, a woman, apparently a native of Chooralmala town, was heard crying aloud, saying someone in her house was trapped under marsh and debris and they could not pull her out.
"Someone, please come and help us. We have lost our house. We don't know whether Nausheen (apparently a family member) is alive. She is trapped in the marsh. Her mouth is full of marsh and sand. Our house is in the town itself," the woman said.
State Revenue Minister K Rajan said that over 70 people who were injured in the landslides have been admitted to various hospitals.
The Kerala government has sought the assistance of the Indian Army for rescue operations.
A Defence PRO said on Tuesday that a team of 43 personnel, led by the Second-in-Command from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been mobilised to aid in the ongoing rescue efforts.
The team, comprising a Medical Officer, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 40 soldiers, is equipped to provide critical assistance in the affected area.
Their deployment aims to augment existing rescue operations and provide relief to those affected by the landslides.
Of those killed, four people, including a child, died in Chooralmala town of the district. A one-year-old child of a family from Nepal died in Thondernad village, according to the Wayanad district authorities.
Besides that, three bodies, including that of a five-year-old, were recovered from the banks of a river near Pothukal village, authorities said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the incident and said he spoke to Cihef Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre to the state.
"Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.
"Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there," Modi said in a post on social media platform 'X'.
The landslides left a trail of destruction, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted, hampering rescue operations.
Picturesque hamlets known for their beauty until Monday--Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha- are now a picture of gloom after landslides hit the areas, cutting them off from other places.
Vehicles washed away in floodwaters could be seen stuck in tree trunks and submerged here and there in many places.
Swollen water bodies changed their course and flowed through inhabited areas, resulting in more destruction.
Huge boulders rolled down the hills and hindered the path of rescue workers.
Collector Meghasree said disaster relief work is progressing in affected areas and rescue operations are being carried out by the NDRF, fire force, police, and the Forest, Revenue and Local Self-government departments.
Along with government agencies, volunteers and local residents are cooperating in the rescue operation, she said in a statement.
The Collector also informed that the shutter of Banasura Sagar dam, on the Karamanthodu river, was opened and warned those living downstream and in low-lying areas to be cautious.
Earlier, in a video message, UDF MLA T Siddique said that district authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from Mundakkai area.
"Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides. Many areas have been cut off. NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places," he said.
Vijayan said in a Facebook post that two Air Force helicopters will depart for Wayanad from Sulur (Coimbatore in TN) shortly to take part in the search and rescue operations.