Death toll crosses 300 in Wayanad, more areas to be searched

KALPETTA: The death toll in the landslides in Wayanad has crossed 300. Unofficial reports said nearly 331 people have died. With the completion of the construction of the Bailey Bridge, the rescue operation has been speeded up. Nine bodies and five body parts were recovered in the search conducted with the help of the machine till noon. Four more bodies were recovered from Chooralmala alone. In the search today, four people were found alive in Padavetti Kunnu. Two males and two females were found. One of the women sustained serious leg injuries. They were airlifted to a safe place.

The search has been extended to more areas including Chooralmala. The search is divided into six zones. The search is done with the help of Hitachis and cutting machines. They are also searching whether people are in their damaged houses.

Search is also continuing in the Chalakudy River. Reports said the search is being conducted within forty kilometres of the river. A woman’s body was found in Chungathara Kaipini, a part of the river in Malappuram. 206 victims of the disaster are yet to be found.

Meantime, according to official figures, the death toll is only 199.

Males-89, females-82 and children 28.
Bodies identified – 133
Number of body parts found – 130
Post-mortem completed -181
Post-mortem body parts -130
Number of bodies handed over to district administration -56
Number of bodies received from Nilambur hospital and handed over to relatives – 21
Body parts handed over–87
Bodies handed over–116
Number of people brought to hospitals from disaster area-264
Those undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram–86
Discharged from hospitals -176