Relief and rescue operations continue in Wayanad's Chooralmala after massive landslides wreaked havoc in the area as houses and roads were damaged, trees uprooted and water bodies swelled.
"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," says National Disaster Response Force Commander Akhilesh Kumar.
"Since many teams are 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."
Four columns from the Defence Security Corps Centre, Kannur, and 122 Territorial Army Battalion are conducting combined rescue operations alongside the NDRF and state rescue teams.
Approximately 1,000 individuals have been rescued, and around 70 bodies have been recovered.
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IMAGE: The Indian Army conducts rescue operations, here and below. Photograph: Southern Command INDIAN/X
Photograph: Southern Command INDIAN/X
Photograph: Southern Command INDIAN/X
IMAGE: An NDRF team carries out a rescue operation in the Chooralmala area, here and below. Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: The Indian Army conduct a rescue operation, here and below. The Indian Army has deployed two rescue columns comprising of 200 soldiers. Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel conduct rescue operation after a devastating landslide hit hilly villages triggered by heavy rainfall, in Wayanad on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: A damaged car at a landslide site. Photograph: C K Thanseer/Reuters
Rescuers carry the body of a victim at a landslide site. Photograph: C K Thanseer/Reuters
IMAGE: Rescuers search for survivors at a landslide site, here and below. Photograph: C K Thanseer/Reuters
Photograph: C K Thanseer/Reuters
IMAGE: Volunteers search for survivors outside a damaged house at a landslide site. Photograph: C K Thanseer/Reuters
IMAGE: An Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster being loaded with bridging stores at the Hindon Indian Air Force station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: Southern Command INDIAN/X
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com
