Wayanad: Four more bodies were recovered from a forest area in the Soochipara-Kanthanpara region during the joint search operation conducted by rescue forces and landslide survivors on Friday. According to rescue personnel, besides the four bodies, a leg was found stuck in a tree. The bodies were found in a decomposed state and will be airlifted. The personnel also said the dense forest cover hampered the drone search.
A final search was conducted by the District Disaster Management Authority in the landslide-hit zones of Wayanad's Meppadi panchayat on Friday. The search was organised with the help of the people affected by the landslides, and friends and relatives of the injured and deceased. Over 131 people are still missing after the massive landslides in Chooralmala and Mundakkai of Wayanad. Officials from the Army, police and the forest department also joined the people in the massive search from 6 am to 11 am on Friday. This is the 11th day of the search mission.
Even people housed in the relief camps who wanted to participate in the search operations for their kith and kin were permitted to join the mission. The state government provided transportation facilities for them. Anticipating some psycho-traumatic situations for the survivors while visiting the site, a medical team was deployed at the sites.
Revenue Minister K Rajan, along with other members of the ministerial sub-committee -- P A Mohammed Riyas and Forest Minister A K Saseendran -- told reporters that the move was to ensure that the expertise of all concerned was utilized in the search operations. With this, the ministerial sub-committee aims at giving space to the kith and kin to be involved in the final lap of the search. By Thursday evening, as many as 190 persons registered to participate in the search operation, the ministers said.
Minister Rajan said that this search operation would be one of the biggest ones held in the nation with the support of people from all walks of life.
The search was earlier planned as a full-day exercise. But the time frame was brought down to 11 am after the officers from the Special Protection Group (SPG) informed the district administration that they would take over the control of the entire stretch from 11 am on Friday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. Modi is expected to visit the landslide-hit areas on Saturday at noon.
Apart from volunteers, personnel from the army, forest, police, Fire and Rescue departments participated in the mission on Thursday. A helicopter also was used for the special search drive in Sunrise Valley.
Divided into six zones, the search will be conducted at Punchirimattam- the origin of the landslide, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Soochippara and Kanthanpara waterfalls, Sunrise Valley, Pothukallu and both sides of River Chaliyar up to Nilambur.
