31 bodies and 158 body parts to be cremated today, search continues for missing 

KALPETTA: The search for the missing people in the landslides that struck Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of Wayanad has not been stopped, said Revenue Minister K Rajan. The teams are still engaged in the rescue operations. The minister clarified that the rescue operation is proceeding through proper systems and the people are being allowed inside only as per the figures.

The minister also said the last rites of 31 unidentified bodies and 158 body parts will begin at 3 pm today on the 64 cents of land in Puthumala. The funeral rites of people who lost lives in the tragedy and who have not been identified, began on Sunday. The funeral proceedings will begin after the online review meeting attended by the chief minister. Revenue Minister K Rajan and Forest Minister A K Saseendran will attend the meeting online.

Although there is a law to bury the body as an unknown body if it cannot be identified after 72 hours of death, the government has reserved an opportunity for the relatives to identify and take them away just before the burial proceedings. The cremation will be after taking the DNA including the body parts and recording the exact location of burial.
The ministers clarified that the rescue operations in Chooralmala are in progress and the search will continue until the last missing person is found and all the allegations are baseless.

A K Saseendran responded to the criticism of Union Forest and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav that this is not an opportunity to teach the union minister about the political situation in Kerala in the present situation. The union minister criticized that illegal mining and illegal human habitation were the cause of the Wayanad disaster and that illegal activities were being carried out under the local bodies.