Wayanad Landslide Day 5: Rescue Ops Intensified As 300 Still Missing, Guidelines Issued For Burial Of Remains; Latest Update
The landslides in Wayanad district on July 30 have resulted in 210 fatalities, with 273 individuals sustaining injuries. Approximately 300 people are suspected to be missing.
Wayanad: Search and rescue operations continue at the landslide-hit Chooralmala, in Wayanad district (PTI Photo)
Search operations commenced early Saturday with over 1,300 rescuers, heavy machinery, and advanced equipment being mobilized to search for survivors amidst the devastation caused by landslides claiming over 200 lives. Private companies specializing in search and rescue, along with volunteers, have joined the army, police, and emergency service units in the rescue operations. The presence of massive boulders and logs, carried by the landslides and scattered in the residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, poses a significant challenge to the rescue teams in their efforts to locate individuals believed to be trapped under the debris. The landslides in Wayanad district on July 30 have resulted in 210 fatalities, with 273 individuals sustaining injuries. Approximately 300 people are suspected to be missing, further complicating the rescue mission due to adverse conditions such as waterlogged soil.
Innovative Techniques Employed
The district administration has strategically divided the landslide-affected areas into zones, utilizing GPS technology to map potential rescue spots and employing aerial photography and cell phone location data. Ground penetrating radar and cadaver dog squads are being utilized to locate bodies buried deep within the debris.
Medical Support and Infrastructure
A significant deployment of medical professionals from the armed forces and civilian sectors, along with ambulances on standby, is ensuring immediate medical aid is available if survivors are discovered. The construction of a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge by the army has facilitated the movement of heavy machinery and ambulances to the affected areas, proving instrumental in the ongoing rescue efforts.
Ongoing Operations Along Chaliyar River
Rescue operations are also underway along the 40-kilometre stretch of the Chaliyar river, spanning Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts. Over a hundred bodies and body parts have been retrieved from the river and its banks. The relentless efforts of the rescue teams, aided by specialized equipment and collaborative support, continue as they strive to locate and rescue any remaining survivors amidst the aftermath of the devastating landslides.
State govt issues guidelines for burial of remains
The Kerala government has issued guidelines, including collection of DNA and dental samples, for burial of the remains. According to the guidelines issued by the Disaster Management Department, an identification number shall be assigned to each body or body part and the same shall be clearly mentioned in all the samples, photographs or videos of the remains and the record of material objects associated with the body.
It further said that police shall make all possible efforts to identify the bodies or body parts and if identification was not possible, they shall release the body to the district administration for further action after 72 hours from the time of inquest.
"The district administration shall inform Meppadi panchayat and the panchayat or municipality in which the burial site is located. In cases where the doctor concerned has advised, in writing, immediate burial due to decomposition or otherwise, the body shall be released to the district administration immediately without any waiting period.
"The disposal of bodies shall only be in the form of burial," the guidelines issued on August 2 said.
The district administration has been directed to ensure burial of the body with clearcut markings of the identification number at the spot of burial. It was also directed that the burial shall take place in the presence of officials of the panchayat or municipality where it is carried out.
"The district administration shall maintain necessary records of the burial location details for reference," the guidelines said.
Similar are the guidelines for bodies which are identified but not claimed and where identification is contested or doubtful. The guidelines also directed that the actual cost of burial shall be certified by an appropriate authority authorised by the District Disaster Management Authority, Wayanad for the purpose and "the actual expenditure for each case shall be met from the State Disaster Response Fund".
(With inputs from agencies)
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