- By Mayukh Debnath
- Thu, 01 Aug 2024 05:31 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Wayanad News: As the death toll from the recent landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district kept rising through Thursday, state Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said rescuers were yet to reach the settlement that first received the impact of the natural calamity. He said the bodies recovered thus far were from a village that was ravaged by the Chaliyar river changing its course.
"The river changed its course because of the landslides and ravaged a village. These bodies have been recovered from that village. But we have not been able to reach the first village which has been ravaged by the landslide," the Kerala Governor told news broadcaster NDTV. The village that became the ground zero remains cut off since the bridge leading to it got washed away following the landslides, he informed.
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"The Army engineering unit is trying to build a Bailey bridge (a makeshift bridge) and this may be completed within a few hours," he was further quoted as saying by NDTV. Governor Khan further pointed out that it is not possible to accurately ascertain the scale of destruction until the bridge is built.
WAYANAD LANDSLIDE: RAHUL, PRIYANKA VISIT AFFECTED VILLAGE
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi visited the landslide-affected Chooralmala village in Wayanad along with his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi. The duo were accompanied by Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.
According to NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi, as of Thursday, the death toll from the landslides was more than 200. Two massive landslides struck Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages in the early hours of July 30, causing extensive destruction, loss of lives, and injury to hundreds, as per the Kerala Revenue Department.
(With inputs from agencies)
