Wayanad: Five ministers will reach Wayanad to coordinate the rescue mission. Ministers AK Saseendran and Kadannappalli Ramachandran are on the way and three more ministers also will arrive in the district today.
A team of Indian Army from Madras Regiment from its Headquarters in Wellington, Coonoor has left for Wayanad. The NDRF team has started rescue operations from Chooralmala. Four additional NDRF teams from Bengaluru in Karnataka and Arkkonam in Tamil Nadu will reach Wayanad soon.
Forces from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire Force, Police, Forest and Revenue department staff are participating in the rescue mission at Chooralmala, said District Collector DR Meghasree in a press release. A large number of local volunteers who are familiar with the terrain also are associating with the mission, Collector said.
Additionally, two teams from the Kannur Defence Security Corps have been directed to assist in the rescue operations, KSDMA said in a Facebook post.
North Zone IG and Kannur DIG will reach Wayanad to lead the rescue operations. State police chief has instructed ADGP Law & Order to co-ordinate rescue operations. Kerala armed police 4 and 5 battalions, Malabar special police have left for Wayanad. Officials specially trained in disaster management are part of this team.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Tuesday that all government agencies are engaged in search and rescue operations following massive landslides in various hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district, with hundreds feared to be trapped.
According to Wayanad district authorities, a one-year-old child from a Nepali family in Thondernad village died in a landslide. The operations will be coordinated by state ministers who will arrive in the district to lead the rescue efforts, Chief Minister Vijayan stated in a press release.
Control Rooms
In response to the landslides and other rain-related disasters in Wayanad district, the Health Department—National Health Mission—has established a control room in Wayanad. Those requiring emergency assistance can contact authorities at 9656938689 or 8086010833.
A sSpecial control room has become operational at Police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram to co-ordinate rescue operations in Wayanad. The numbers of the control room are 9497900402, 04712721566.
The information being received at the control room will be immediately transferred to the rescue teams on the field. Sufficient number of policemen have been deployed in the control room, said a release issued by Kerala police.
