Wayanad disaster; 18 rescue workers who went for search mission stuck in inner forest

KELPATTA: 18 rescue workers who went for search in Munderi forest in the wake of the landslide in Wayanad, got stuck in the forest. It is reported that they are trapped at Kanthanpara near Soochipara. 14 workers of the Emergency Rescue Force and four rescue workers of Team Welfare are trapped in the forest. No corpse found here could be brought back. The district police chief in Munderi is negotiating with the forest officials to bring them back.
They are stuck kilometres away from Munderi. Efforts are being made to deliver food to the trapped people and rescue them by airlift. The group was able to communicate earlier through a wireless set. However, it is reported that communication with them has been affected now.

Extensive searches are being conducted in the areas where the Chaliyar River flows through the forest. The rescue workers went to search this morning as part of this. Dead bodies and body parts are lying among the stones and trees that were swept away by the Chaliyar River after the landslide. The search in these areas is done by taking turns in different groups.

Yesterday, three rescue workers who were trapped near Soochipara Falls were airlifted and rescued.