Six more bodies recovered at Wayanad; Mass burial of unidentified bodies performed

Thiruvananthapuram: A week after the July 30 landslide at Wayanad, around 175 persons are still missing, while the official death toll reached 226 and the unofficial numbers are over 400.

Emotional scenes were witnessed on Monday as mass burial of 27 unidentified bodies and 154 body parts were performed at a burial ground at Puthumala near Chooralmala. Mass prayers of all religions were also performed as part of it.

Identification numbers of the DNA samples of each body were also marked in each grave for the purpose of any future identification.

DNA matching of the unidentified bodies and body parts with relatives of the missing persons are being done. Blood samples of 83 persons were already collected.

The search operations for the bodies were being carried out in the landslide ravaged spots as well as the Soochipara waterfalls and Chaliyar river from where a large number of bodies and body parts were recovered. Six bodies were recovered during the day. The search operation is likely to continue for some more days.

A meeting of the cabinet sub-committee formed to coordinate the relief and rehabilitation met at Wayanad and decided to expedite measures to issue certificates that were lost in the landslide.