Elaborate arrangements made for rescue operations

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a press conference that the Indian Army has provided adequate assistance for the rescue operation in Wayanad.

"A 60-member team of the National Disaster Response Force has been deployed for rescue operations. A team from Bengaluru has left for Wayanad. A 64-member team of DSC has arrived in the district. A team of 89 will reach tomorrow. Another DSC team is ready in Kannur. Two choppers of the Air Force, which had left for Wayanad from Sulur, are camping in Kozhikode due to adverse weather conditions. The state has requested for Navy's River crossing Team, one team from the ETF and an Indian Coast Guard Team," the Chief Minister said.

"Moreover, 30-member NDRF teams from various districts have been deployed in Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. A team from Arakkonam has left for Palakkad. Traffic arrangements have been made so that army units arriving from Bengaluru with machinery for debris removal and other purposes can reach Wayanad without facing any hindrances. Apart from the forensic team in Wayanad, a special team of forensic doctors from Kozhikode has also been appointed to speed up the post-mortem process," he said.

The Public Distribution Department and Supplyco are taking steps to deliver food and other essential items to the areas where the relief camps are operating and the distressed areas.