Daijiworld Media Network - Wayanad
Wayanad, Jul 9: The death toll in the Wayanad landslide has risen to six after rescue teams recovered three more bodies from the disaster site on Thursday. Search operations are continuing to trace two workers who remain missing, officials said.
The latest victims have been identified as migrant workers engaged in the Anakkompoyil–Meppadi tunnel project, where the landslide occurred. They were identified as Azharuddin Ansari, a surveyor from Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Sharma, an engineer from Himachal Pradesh, and Mohammed Imran, an excavator operator from Bihar.
Authorities said search efforts are continuing to locate Rakesh Guchait, a surveyor from West Bengal, and Vikram Rana, a construction manager from Himachal Pradesh.
Kerala Ministers A P Anil Kumar and T Siddique, who are overseeing the rescue operations, said one body was recovered from Zone 1 during the morning search, while two others were found in Zone 3 near the river.
"Searches will continue in Zones 1 and 2. We will also intensify operations along the river," Anil Kumar said.
Siddique said postmortem examinations of the recovered bodies would be conducted at Vythiri Taluk Hospital. The bodies would then be embalmed at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital before being transported to their respective home states.
According to the district administration, a massive rescue operation is underway involving 70 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 110 members of the Fire and Rescue Services and nearly 100 police personnel.
Twelve heavy earth-moving machines, including Hitachi excavators and JCBs, have also been deployed to assist in the search and rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, 57 families living in landslide-prone areas have been shifted to two relief camps established at Meppadi Polytechnic College and the Government UP School in Cheeral village as a precautionary measure.
The landslide occurred on July 7 near the Anakkompoyil–Meppadi tunnel project, which is being constructed to improve connectivity between Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan had earlier said that rescue operations remained the government's top priority. He also confirmed that 10 people were injured in the incident. Of them, three have been discharged from hospital, four are undergoing treatment and are in stable condition, while three remain in intensive care, with two reported to be in critical condition.