Wayanad: With the death toll keep mounting, rescue workers are slowly making their way through thick debris and slush at Mundakkai and Chooralmala. Although the weather is clear, conditions on the ground make it extremely tough for the rescue workers to take vehicles and tools like concrete cutters to the site.
The army choppers were able to drop food and water by 10:45 am to most of the stranded residents as well as the volunteers.
The army team from the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) has started constructing the bridge between Chooralmala and Mundakkai. The rescue team can transport vehicles, equipment, food and water to Mundakkai only after the bridge is constructed. At present, scores of volunteers are toiling amid the debris of houses and buildings to trace the feeblest signals of life. Postmortem of as many as 143 bodies were completed by Tuesday midnight.
Meanwhile, the mortal remains of 61 people would be transported to Wayanad from Nilambur in the afternoon on Wednesday, according to health officials in Malappuram. The bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar river and have been kept at Nilambur government hospital.
Among 500 houses at Mundakkai, only 30 houses remain according to Meppadi panchayat authorities. Abdul Kalam, a panchayat member said that a part of the mountain slid down the valley, pouring more than 12 feet of earth over the houses. The situation would have been tougher had rain, which subsided during the night, resumed during the day, rescue teams point out.
