Two killed, 8 injured in landslide in Kerala’s Wayanad. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala gave instructions to speed up the rescue operation. Calling it a ‘man-made’ disaster, ministers have accused Konkan Railways of negligence. NDRF teams are present on the spot.
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [भारत]July 7 (ANI): Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday directed the fire force chief and the Wayanad district police chief to intensify rescue operations in landslide-hit areas of Wayanad. Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has confirmed the death of two people in this incident. Instructions have been given for treatment in Wayanad hospital. He said that the rescue operation will be completed after the road is cleared.
“Two deaths have been confirmed. Rescue operations will be completed after the road is cleared. We have instructed all hospitals in Wayanad to treat laborers from outside Kerala. Initial reports suggest that no local person has been affected in the incident,” Muraleedharan said. The Health Minister further said that instructions have been given to hospitals in Wayanad for treatment, and ambulance services have been deployed at the spot.
Eight people were rescued, relief camp started
Eight people rescued from the landslide-hit area – Heera Kumar (32), Dilip (19), Suraj Yadav (25), Sanjay Thakur (35), Rajneesh (27), Tanmay Ghosh (28), Koopamal (Jaya) (37), and Kunju (39) – have been admitted to Meppadi Vims Hospital for treatment. A relief camp has been opened at Chulikka Government LP School, and residents from houses in the affected area are being shifted there.
Ministers called it a ‘man-made’ disaster
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Commenting on the disastrous incident, Satheesan said the accident at the Wayanad tunnel construction site was an “unfortunate disaster” and alleged that the contractors did not follow repeated instructions from officials to remove the excavated soil despite warnings from the District Disaster Management Authority. Reacting to the incident, Kerala Minister T. Siddiqui alleged that the landslide at Kallady in Wayanad was a “man-made” disaster caused by negligence, and claimed that officials had already warned Konkan Railways about the risk but no preventive action was taken. He said six people were seriously injured in the incident, while NDRF teams have been deployed and search and rescue operations are underway.
Siddiqui said, “This is not a natural landslide, but a man-made landslide. It is a clear case of negligence. Six people are seriously injured, and have been admitted to the hospital. Their condition is stable. We will continue search and rescue operations at the site in Kallady. The district collector had written to Konkan Railways about the possibility of a landslide at the site. A total of 60 NDRF personnel from Wayanad and Kozhikode Two teams have been sent to the spot.” He further said, “The District Collector is present at the spot. I, along with Minister of State AP Anil Kumar, am going to the spot. Konkan Railways was earlier instructed to take necessary action, but no action was taken from their side. Such things cannot be tolerated because two years ago, 298 people lost their lives in a landslide in Mundakkai.”
NDRF deployed, rescue work underway
Kerala Revenue Minister AP Anil Kumar assured that rescue operations have begun. He said that a team of 30 NDRF personnel has reached the spot. “We are collecting information about the tragedy and then will announce everything,” Kumar said.
Kerala Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha said on central assistance, “Central assistance comes only when we know the extent of the damage and who is responsible for it. The central government has a disaster management, facilitation and funding system. We have money in it, and we will take care of it.” (ANI)
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