Wayanad: The Massive landslides in Wayanad's Mundakkai and Chooralmala killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands. The death toll in the landslides touched 334 on Friday. Apart from the dead bodies, the volunteers, NDRF and army personnel recovered around 133 body parts from the landslide-hit spots and the Chaliyar river. So far, 28 autopsies including that of body parts have been performed. The health officials have collected genetic samples of the body parts to identify the deceased. On Friday morning, Wayanad district collector Meghashree D R said that they were in the process of identifying whom the body parts belong to, using genetic testing.
When the search operations are underway, numerous people are seeking the authority's help to find their family members. Survivors as well as relatives of the Mundakkai and Chooralmala residents have been visiting Meppadi hospital to identify the bodies recovered from the landslide-hit spots. Identification of the bodies is a tough task as most of them are disfigured. On Friday, the district authority cremated 94 unidentified bodies in the public crematorium.
At the same time, the officials confirmed that 280 people are still missing. Minister P A Mohammed Riyas told the media that the district authority confirmed the number of missing people after taking into account Aadhaar documents, details of tourists, checking with Asha workers and speaking to people in the relief camps and hospitals.
Now, the search is hastened as more machinery including earthmovers, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), thermal scanners and advanced equipment are being used.
The massive landslides displaced around 9,910 people in Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions. They are housed at 94 relief camps in various parts of the district.
As many as 264 people have been injured in the disaster; 177 of them have been discharged from hospitals, two have been referred to other medical institutions and 85 continue to undergo treatment in various hospitals in the district, the local administration said. Earlier, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said in a Facebook post that ICUs have been prepared in government hospitals in Wayanad for the treatment of those seriously injured in the landslides.
(with PTI inputs)
