Kerala landslides: CM Vijayan holds high-level meeting to coordinate rescue operations

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday convened a high-level meeting to coordinate rescue operations in Wayanad and discuss further steps in the wake of the massive landslides in the hilly district that claimed the lives of at least 123 people and injured over 128.

At the meeting with top bureaucrats from various departments and senior police officers, Vijayan assessed the rescue operations as well as reviewed the coordination with central government agencies, the deployment of disaster response forces, and the health and safety precautions and facilities in the relief camps, a statement issued by his office said.

He attended the meeting at the office of the Disaster Management Authority, which coordinates rescue operations at the state level.

The landslides left a trail of destruction, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted, hampering rescue work.

Picturesque hamlets in Wayanad known for their beauty until Monday -- Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha -- are now a picture of gloom.