Kerala landslides: CM Vijayan to chair all-party meeting in Wayanad today; Rahul, Priyanka to visit

Wayanad, Kerala: An all-party meeting, chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, will be held in the hill district on Thursday as search and rescue operations by various agencies and armed forces continue in the landslides-hit areas here.

State ministers camping in the district, MLAs from Wayanad and political party leaders will participate in the meeting, the district administration said.

Besides the all-party meet, Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to visit the relief camps set up in the landslides-hit areas of the district, according to a statement issued by the party. According to the updates of the death toll on Wednesday night, 167 people have died and 191 are missing in the landslides with over 200 injured. Of the dead, 100 have been identified, the district administration said.

The rescue operations continued on the third day with teams of the army, navy and coast guard carrying out a detailed search at three locations at Attamala, Mundakkai and Chooralmala. A dog squad each would be attached to the teams, a statement said.

The construction of the bailey bridge to connect the landslides-hit areas is also going on, according to visuals shown on TV channels.

Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children.