Wayanad landslides: Death toll keeps climbing; rescue ops called off for the day

Although radars picked up suspected signs of life underneath the debris, officials called off the search by nightfall, saying that it was quite certain that no one was alive underneath the debris.

Thiruvananthapuram: While the unconfirmed number of deaths in the Chooralmala-Mundakkai landslide in Kerala's Wayanad reached around 310 by Friday, the official number remains at 210.

The search operation on the fourth day after the landslide saw anxious moments towards the evening as search using radars had found the suspected presence of life beneath the debris at Mundakkai region.

However, by night the officials called off further search at the spot, saying that it was quite certain that no live human beings were present beneath the debris.

Since the Army on Thursday informed that the chances of anyone still remaining alive beneath the debris was almost negligible, the search operation on Thursday was location-specific, on the basis of inputs from the survivors on the possible locations where the missing people could have been buried, either dead or alive.

As the bailey bridge from Chooralmala to Mundakkai was commissioned by Thursday evening, more earth movers were taken to Mundakkai region for the search.

Extensive searches were also being carried out on the Chaliyar river, from where around 175 bodies and body parts have been recovered thus far. Drones were also used for searching the parts of the river that flows through forest areas.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) M R Ajithkumar told reporters that each portion of the Chaliyar river that flows through the adjacent Malappuram and Kozhikode districts were being searched jointly by the local police and Fire and Rescue Service personnel.

While 395 persons were reported missing as of Thursday night, the authorities are vetting the list by collecting details of people in various relief camps, as well as those who were shifted to other places.

Meanwhile, the Army has shifted a four-member family who were stranded at a house at Padavetti Kunnu near Chooralmala to a relief camp. Six members of tribal families stranded in forest areas were also shifted to relief camps by forest officials.

As many as 9,971 persons of 2,981 families are now staying in 91 relief camps. Anganwadi workers are ensuring supply of nutritious food at relief camps.

Animal rescue teams of the state animal husbandry department and voluntary organisations were also carrying out animal rescue operations.