The death toll in the Wayanad landslide has reached seven. Another body was recovered, which has been identified as that of Rajesh from West Bengal. One person is still missing. Meanwhile, opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan has criticized the government over disaster management.
Wayanad (Kerala) [भारत]July 10 (ANI): The death toll in the Wayanad landslide has risen to seven. Rescue teams recovered another body from the site on Friday, while the search for a missing person is still ongoing.
Kerala Minister T Siddiqui said the latest body recovered has been identified as that of Rajesh, a resident of East Midnapore in West Bengal. The body was recovered from the Meenakshi river downstream from the landslide site and identified by his family members.
Siddiqui told reporters, “The body of Rajesh, a resident of East Midnapore in West Bengal, has been recovered from the Meenakshi river. His family has identified the body. It has now been shifted to the taluka headquarters hospital. After the post-mortem, the body will be sent to Calicut Medical College for embalming. Then the body will be airlifted to his hometown.”
The minister said one person, identified as project manager Vikram Rana, is still missing and rescue teams are continuing intensive search operations to locate him. Siddiqui said, “Another person, Vikram Rana, is missing. He is a project manager and the search for him is in full swing.”
The landslide occurred on July 7, following which a massive search and rescue operation was launched in the area. Multiple agencies have since been involved in the operation, and heavy machinery has been deployed to clear the debris and facilitate the movement of rescue personnel. Officials said teams are continuing operations in challenging conditions to locate the missing person.
Opposition targeted the government
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday criticized the state government’s response to the landslide, alleging lack of coordination among ministers and claiming that facts were being distorted regarding environmental clearance for the proposed tunnel road project.
After visiting the landslide site, hospitals and relief camps, Vijayan reiterated that the opposition will continue to support the government in dealing with the disaster, but expressed concern over the information being shared by the administration.
Vijayan said, “I have visited the incident site, the hospital and the camp. I have already said that our support is with the government in this situation. It is a good thing that the Chief Minister has announced an investigation.”
However, he took exception to the Chief Minister’s remarks regarding environmental issues associated with the proposed tunnel road project. He said, “The facts should not be distorted regarding the issue of obtaining environmental clearance for the tunnel road. What the Chief Minister said in the press conference is wrong about the environmental issues in the area.”
There was a landslide near the tunnel construction site
The landslide occurred around 11:15 am on Tuesday within 200 meters of the tunnel construction site at Kallady in Meppadi Gram Panchayat, burying a large part of the work site under 7 to 10 feet deep debris. (ANI)
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