Munnar Landslide: 3 More Bodies Recovered, Death Toll Mounts to 21; Search Underway to Trace Missing People

Notably, teams of National Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed for the rescue operations. Besides, Kerala Police, Fire Force, locals and volunteers are also carrying out the massive search operation.

New Delhi: Three more bodies were recovered  from the landslide site in Rajamala near Munnar district of Kerala on Friday, taking the death toll in the previous day’s mishap to 21. On the other hand, efforts were also amid continuing rains to trace missing people in the first major rain-related mishap since the onset of South West monsoon last month that brought back memories of havoc caused by floods in the previous two years in the state.

Notably, teams of National Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed for the rescue operations. Besides, Kerala Police, Fire Force, locals and volunteers are also carrying out the massive search operation.

#Kerala: Death toll rises to 21 as 3 more bodies recovered today from the landslide site in Rajamala, Idukki. Search underway for the missing people pic.twitter.com/qAcvf1kiko

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2020

Speaking to reporters, state minister MM Mani said the state government will do everything possible to help the victims, so would the Tea company, that owns the estate.

“The exact number of missing will have to be ascertained by the tea company, as it’s their residential lines and the local village council will also have to work with them. The chances of getting a survivor from the debris is slim now,” said Mani.

Meanwhile, the IMD has predicted extreme heavy rains in Wayanad and Kottayam districts in the next two days, raising fears of more landslides in the Western Ghats region.  Authorities in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts have sounded alerts with excess water being released from dams built across the rivers in these districts.