Eight, including three children, dead as landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said two Air Force helicopters will take part in the search and rescue operations

Wayanad: Eight people, including three children, were confirmed to have died in landslides that hit Kerala’s hilly Wayanad district on Tuesday, authorities said.

Of those killed, four people, including a child, died in the Chooralmala town of the district, while a one-year-old child of a Nepali family died in the Thondernad village, according to the Wayanad district authorities.

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The Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said. In a video message, UDF MLA T Siddique said district authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from the Mundakkai area.

“Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides. Many areas have been cut off. NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post that two Air Force helicopters will depart for Wayanad from Sulur shortly to take part in the search and rescue operations.

According to district authorities, several families have been moved to the various camps or homes of their relatives in the wake of the landslides. Those in need of emergency assistance can contact authorities through these two numbers — 9656938689 and 8086010833 — the statement said.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has said that Fireforce and NDRF teams have been deployed to the affected area, with an additional NDRF team en route to Wayanad.

Two teams of Kannur Defence Security Corps have also been instructed to move to Wayanad to assist in the rescue efforts, according to a Facebook post by the KSDMA. Locals from the affected areas report that many people are feared to be trapped. Rescue operations are being hindered by ongoing heavy rainfall.