“Painful Disaster,” Says Kerala CM; 144 Bodies Recovered, 191 Missing in Wayanad Landslides

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has provided an update on the extensive rescue operations underway in the Wayanad district, which has been devastated by a severe landslide. Describing the situation as “unprecedented and painful,” Vijayan reported that a total of 1,592 people have been rescued through coordinated efforts. Unfortunately, 144 bodies have been recovered so far, including 79 men and 64 women, while 191 individuals remain missing. The rescue teams are working diligently to evacuate as many people as possible and provide necessary medical treatment to those who have been rescued.

In response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claims about the state’s handling of weather warnings, Vijayan clarified that while the weather alerts were taken seriously, the rainfall significantly exceeded the warning levels. An orange alert was in effect before the disaster, but 572 millimeters of rain were recorded over 48 hours, surpassing the warning thresholds. A red alert was only issued after the landslide had occurred. Vijayan contested Shah’s assertion that the state had ignored earlier warnings, noting that no red alert or flood warnings were issued for the relevant rivers prior to the disaster.

The Chief Minister has called for the landslides to be declared a national disaster and announced plans to visit Wayanad on August 1 for an all-party meeting to address the crisis. Currently, there are 82 relief camps in Wayanad accommodating 2,017 individuals, with eight camps in Meppadi alone housing 1,486 people from 421 families. Additional support includes the arrival of 132 army personnel and the use of two helicopters for rescue operations. Medical teams from four cooperative hospitals in Kozhikode and Thalassery are also arriving to assist.

Vijayan emphasized the importance of focusing on relief and recovery rather than engaging in a blame game. He highlighted that evacuations played a crucial role in preventing a larger catastrophe and stressed that addressing climate change-induced disasters requires collective action. The state’s efforts to manage the crisis and support affected communities remain a top priority.