Wayanad: Kerala Revenue and Housing Minister K Rajan announced on Wednesday that the construction of the temporary Bailey bridge is expected to be completed by evening. The Army team from the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) has started construction of the bridge that connects Chooralmala and Mundakkai.
The rescue team can transport the rescue vehicles, cutters, food and water to Mundakkai only after the completion of the bridge. At present, scores of volunteers are toiling amid the debris of houses and buildings to trace out the feeblest signals of life.
Speaking to Manorama Online, the minister stated that a 100-member Army team would soon leave Kozhikode to help complete the bridge. The materials for the bridge would be transported from Kannur airport. Once the materials arrive this afternoon, the construction will be expedited, enabling the entry of heavy machinery like earthmovers into the disaster area. A Bailey bridge is a portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge.
Rajan assured that the Army would complete the bridge within four to five hours. Currently, the bodies are being retrieved by two teams, but the deployment of excavators is crucial for searching for those trapped in the rubble, thus making the bridge construction a priority.
The state government has requested the deployment of a 690-feet Bailey bridge. Currently, up to 330 feet of the bridge is being moved from the MEG Centre in Bengaluru by road. The remaining parts are being airlifted from Delhi Cantonment, the Army said late on Tuesday. A 110-feet Bailey bridge is being airlifted from Delhi.
At present, joint teams from the army, police, fire brigade, and NDRF are divided into four groups to search the disaster area. A health department team is also accompanying some of these groups to provide emergency medical aid.
There is still no precise information on who and how many are missing. To obtain accurate figures, authorities need to collect information on those people shifted to camps and hospitals. Assistance from Kudumbashree, the revenue and health departments, and local representatives has been sought for this purpose, sources said.
Primary data collection will begin with those staying in relief camps. The numbers of injured and deceased will then be compared with hospital records to ascertain the missing persons. The minister also noted that a dog squad has arrived in the area, to quickly identify people buried underground.
The minister said that many in the relief camps experience mental despair, and immediate counselling would be provided, especially to rescued children. Additionally, an Air Force team would go to the Attamala region to offer emergency medical assistance, as initial assessments suggest many people are still trapped there.
