Wayanad: Despite a challenging five-day search operation by various forces, over 200 people remain untraced after a series of massive landslides struck Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday. The death toll touched 357, with 18 more bodies recovered on Saturday, including 16 from the Chaliyar River. Search teams will resume their efforts on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, two rescue workers who ventured deep into the forest near the Mundakkai region to search for and recover bodies became stranded near the Soochipara waterfalls. They were airlifted to safety by an Indian Air Force helicopter.

Relief camps – 93
In relief camps - 10,042
Rescue personnel deployed - 1,419

Free ration
Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil said the people at Mundakkai and Chooralmala will receive the August month ration for free. Currently, the ration is being provided free of charge to priority categories and at a fair price to non-priority categories. However, in the disaster-struck region, the ration will be provided free of cost to all categories, the minister added.

Township to rehabilitate survivors
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that a township will be established in a secure area to rehabilitate those displaced by the catastrophic landslide. The CM said various offers have come from the global community to provide land and construct houses. A 'Help for Wayanad' cell has been formed under Joint Land Revenue Commissioner A Geetha IAS to coordinate these offers. "The government plans a comprehensive rehabilitation process for the survivors, aiming for swift completion. A new, safer area will be identified for constructing a township. The Education Minister will visit Wayanad to ensure that children's education is not disrupted," he added.

Swift disbursal of claim amount to victims
The finance ministry on Saturday asked public sector insurance companies including Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to speedily disburse the claim amount to landslide victims and their families in Wayanad.

The insurance companies have initiated efforts to reach out to their policyholders through various channels (local newspapers, social media, company websites, sms, etc) to provide the contact details for assistance in the districts of Wayanad, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Thrissur, where a significant number of claims are being reported, the finance ministry said in a post on X.