Wayanad Landslides: Over 1,300 Rescuers, Heavy Machinery Deployed As Search Operations Enter Fifth Day

In wake of massive landslides in Kerala, search operations commenced on Saturday (3 August) with over 1,300 rescuers using heavy machinery and advanced equipment to locate survivors.

The army, police, and emergency service units are leading the search operations, which entered fifth day on Saturday, and were joined by private search and rescue companies and volunteers, as per the report by moneycontrol.com.

However, the rescue efforts in the residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala are hindered by large boulders and logs brought by the landslides.

These obstacles are complicating the search for individuals trapped beneath the rubble.

Around 300 people are still unaccounted for, and rescue teams are facing difficult conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they comb through the wreckage of homes and buildings.

The district administration has also divided the affected areas into zones, has identified potential rescue sites using GPS, and is utilising aerial photographs and cell phone location data.

Additionally, ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dog squads have been deployed to find bodies buried deep under the debris.

Numerous medical professionals from both the armed forces and civilian sectors, along with ambulances, are on standby to provide immediate aid to any survivors found.

The 190-foot-long Bailey bridge, constructed by the army and handed over to the Wayanad administration has been vital in the rescue efforts.

It facilitates the movement of heavy machinery and ambulances to the affected areas and will remain in place until a permanent bridge is constructed.

Rescue operations are also active along the 40-kilometre stretch of the Chaliyar River, which flows through Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts.

Over a hundred bodies and body parts have been recovered from the river and its banks.

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