Kerala landslide toll rises to 27
MONSOON FURY 12 more bodies recovered from a mould of debris; search ops to find 42 missing people continue
IDUKKI ADMINISTRATION SAYS THE NUMBER OF MISSING PEOPLE IS LIKELY TO GO UP AS MANY STUDENTS STAYING IN HOSTELS RETURNED HOMES DUE TO THE PANDEMIC
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The toll from a landslide at Rajamalai in Kerala’s Idukki district went up to 27 as rescuers on Saturday pulled out 12 more bodies from a mound of debris and slush while search operations for 42 missing people continued despite heavy rains.
State minister M M Mani, who is camping in Idukki, said there is little hope of finding any survivors now. “The situation is really bleak,” he said.
Heavy rains triggered the landslide on Friday and buried a colony of tea plantation workers.
The Idukki district administration said the number of missing people is likely to go up as many students staying in hostels had returned to their homes in the area due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The estimate of the missing people is based on the employment registry of the workers’ employer, Kannan Devean Hill Plantation (KDHP) Limited. But local leaders said many like students and guests are not accounted for in the registry. “There is some confusion about the exact number of missing,” said Idukki collector H Dineshan.
Relatives of the missing people have crowded the area and were seen pleading with rescue officials to search at particular points. Some of them broke down saying at least they should get bodies of the missing.
District panchayat president Kochu Thresia said Rajamalai is not landslide-prone area and that is why they did not take many precautions. “During 2018 and 2019 floods, the area was least affected. Power and communication lines were cut off over the last four days. This really aggravated the situation,” said Thresia.
He added heavy rains lashing the area disrupted rescue work several times.
At least six teams of the National Disaster Response Force are involved in the rescue operations in Idukki, where some areas have received 220 mm rain.
Union minister V Muraleedhran, who is from Kerala, said he will visit Idukki on Sunday on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directions. Modi has announced an ex-gratia relief of ~2 lakh each for the victims and the state government ~5 lakh. KDHP also announced a relief of ~2 lakh each to those killed in the landslide.
The weather department has issued a red alert for five districts, including Idukki and Wayanad, where all major rivers are in spate and dams have swollen because of heavy rains. Five more flood-related deaths were reported from other areas of the state.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represents Wayanad in Parliament, urged his party workers to lend a helping hand to the Kerala government.
“Heavy rains in Kerala have resulted in floods and a massive landslide in Munnar in which many have lost their lives. This is a terrible tragedy. I urge all our Congress party workers and leaders to lend a helping hand at this time and do whatever they can to mitigate the suffering of our brothers and sisters who are in need of help,” wrote Gandhi on his Facebook page. He added he is particularly concerned about his parliamentary constituency and is closely tracking the situation there.
“The yearly flooding and landslides in Kerala are a grim reminder that we have to work harder to protect our environment and create sustainable development models that allow us to cope with changing weather patterns and extreme climatic disturbances.”