Wayanad Landslides Updates: Toll 292; 'Rescue Operation Has Been Completed, We Are Only Retrieving Bodies'

General Officer Commanding (GOC) Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, Major General VT Mathew said that the rescue operation in Wayanad is halted in the evening given the dangers involved. "The rescue has been completed. Right now, we are only retrieving the bodies. If there is anyone who is trapped in houses, then we will rescue them. But it is a difficult task during the rains. 3 Army dogs are deployed here... We stop the rescue operations in the evening as it is dangerous. Our 5 teams are deployed here for the rescue operations," he said while speaking to media.

A scientific research institute under the central government has been working without break for the last two days to prepare food items with longer shelf life for the survivors of landslides in Wayanad.

A team of scientists from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) here has converted their incubation cell for technology transfer into a food processing and production unit with more than 70 people, including research scholars volunteering to help, working in one shift to prepare 1000 packets of each food item. They are using an exclusive technology developed by the institute to provide extra shelf life to food items like Upma, which the director said has a high protein value.

"One is upma; we increased the protein content of it by 10 per cent. And we use retort processing and retort pouches that will keep the food fresh for at least one month. Then we have poha mixed with ground nuts in dried form, which also has a shelf life of one month. We also have millet puffs for kids," C Anandharamakrishnan, director of CSIR-NIIST, told PTI.

He said the prime aim was to pack and send food items that are readily consumable and have a longer shelf life. Anandharamakrishnan said their unit is equipped to produce more if further requirements come, and they aim to complete the first batch by Thursday evening. "We are planning to hand over the consignment to the Thiruvananthapuram district collector by this evening," the director said. NIIST never had a full-fledged production capability at their technology incubation cell, but they used the existing infrastructure and converted it into a round-the-clock production line.

"The retort process is a high-temperature, high-pressure process. With this process, any food item could be kept fresh for two to three months. A minimum of one month is our guarantee," V V Venugopal, head of the Department of Agroprocessing and Technology, said. He said the Poha mix does not have any moisture content, so it could be kept for longer days and readily consumed. These food packets will be sent to the landslide-affected area through the district administration, where they will be distributed among the survivors. (PTI)

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi took stock of the areas affected by the landslide in Meppadi, Wayanad and met the people affected by the tragedy. Before reaching Meppadi, Rahul and Priyanka visited the landslide-affected area of Chooralmala. AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal is also accompanying them.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has reached the landslide site at Chooralmala in Wayanad. Gandhi and his sister Priyanka had landed at Kannur airport at 9.30 am today and then travelled to Wayanad by road. AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal is also accompanying them. According to their itinerary shared by the party, after visiting Chooralmala landslide spot, Rahul Gandhi will visit a Community Health Centre, Dr Moopen's Medical College and two relief camps at Meppadi. Gandhi, who won from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 general elections, had again won from here this year. However, as he also won from the Raebareli LS seat in Uttar Pradesh, he gave up the Wayanad constituency from where Priyanka is expected to contest when a by-election is held there.

In the ongoing rescue operations in Kerala's Wayanad, the Indian Army managed to construct a 100 ft bridge overnight and open it for public in the morning. Giving information about the same, Army's Southern Command in a post on X said the bridge will aid the rescue operations and assist in quick evacuation of stranded people.

The India Army is carrying out rescue efforts at three locations Attamala, Mundakkai and Chooralmala in coordination with other rescue teams. In a post on X, Army's Southern Command said the officer leading the rescue operation met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier today and briefed him about the ongoing rescue operation. "Bodies recovered are being shifted to safer location for further action by civil administration. Maj Gen VT Mathew, officer in charge for all rescue operation of Indian Army at #Wayanad also met the Chief Minister of Kerala this morning and updated him and the state cabinet about the ongoing rescue operations," the post read.

Rescue operators in calamity-ravaged Mundakkai in Wayanad district say they require heavy machinery to remove huge trees uprooted in the landslides that buried several houses. Speaking to media, a rescue operator said: "We are standing on the terrace of a building, and a smell is emanating from underneath, indicating the presence of dead bodies. The building is fully covered with mud and uprooted trees." He said that excavators (Hitachis) are available for the operations, but they are insufficient for the task.
"Heavy machinery is required to remove the huge trees and carry out search operations in the collapsed buildings. Only then can we make progress in the search operations," he added.

Massive search operations led by a team of over 3,000 rescue workers are underway in landslide-hit Wayanad. Authorities, however, are still grappling to determine the exact number of people missing as the rescue operators fight adverse conditions, including muddy soil and rain, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings. State Revenue Minister K Rajan, who is in the disaster-struck region, coordinating the rescue efforts, told the media that the authorities are yet to finalise the number of missing people.
"Initially, we used the voter list to identify the missing persons. But since it does not contain the details of the children, we are now relying on ration cards and other details. We are trying to identify the missing people by checking the ration card details and with the help of Asha workers and the anganwadi workers," Rajan said. He said the rescue mission at Mundakkai is a massive one, as usually an incident like this will be limited to one or two kilometres, but in this case, the disaster has struck a massive area. "The bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar river at Pothukal (in Malappuram district). That shows the huge impact of this incident," Rajan said.

An all-party meeting begins in Wayanad under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The meeting is being held at APJ Hall in Wayanad Collectorate. Ministers camping in Wayanad, district MLAs, district panchayat president and political party leaders are participating in the meeting.

Congress leader and former MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi landed in Kannur earlier today and are on the way to Wayanad to visit the areas impacted by the landslides.

Police in Kerala have launched an investigation into an alleged social media campaign against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Facebook post requesting help for the people affected by the landslides in Wayanad district.

The State Police Media Centre (SPMC) on Thursday said that the Wayanad Cybercrime police has registered a case under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Disaster Management Act and launched a probe into the alleged spreading of a campaign with the intention of obstructing relief efforts. The SPMC, in its statement, further said that the fake campaign was circulated on social media platform X from a handle called 'Koyikodans 2.0'. The post was aimed at motivating people to reject the CM's appeal for disaster relief, it said.

Following a request from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Reliance Jio has installed a second dedicated tower to provide reliable connectivity in Wayanad to ensure there are no communication barriers during the rescue and relief operations following the devastating landslides. The company said that the move will help it expand its network capacity and coverage in the landslide-affected areas. It will also assist distressed residents, rescue workers, and disaster management teams on the ground.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took stock of the rescue and relief operations in Wayanad in wake of the deadly landslides that has left nearly 300 people dead, with many more missing.

Speaking to media, State Revenue minister K Rajan said the Chief minister arrived in Kalpetta at around 9:30 am and will chair a meeting with officials at 10:30 am following which he will visit the affected areas. " ...This day is very important, more than 1600 forces are involved in the rescue operations. Social workers are also involved," the minister said. Search and rescue operations by various agencies and armed forces continue in the landslides-hit areas in Wayanad where, according to the latest inputs recieved, the death toll has reached 287, with at least 200 more missing. Pinarayi Vijayan will also chair an all-party meeting in the hill district today.

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. Rahul and Priyanka landed were set to land at Kannur airport this morning.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, Major General VT Mathew said that the rescue operation in Wayanad is halted in the evening given the dangers involved. "The rescue has been completed. Right now, we are only retrieving the bodies. If there is anyone who is trapped in houses, then we will rescue them. But it is a difficult task during the rains. 3 Army dogs are deployed here... We stop the rescue operations in the evening as it is dangerous. Our 5 teams are deployed here for the rescue operations," he said while speaking to media.

A scientific research institute under the central government has been working without break for the last two days to prepare food items with longer shelf life for the survivors of landslides in Wayanad.

A team of scientists from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) here has converted their incubation cell for technology transfer into a food processing and production unit with more than 70 people, including research scholars volunteering to help, working in one shift to prepare 1000 packets of each food item. They are using an exclusive technology developed by the institute to provide extra shelf life to food items like Upma, which the director said has a high protein value.

"One is upma; we increased the protein content of it by 10 per cent. And we use retort processing and retort pouches that will keep the food fresh for at least one month. Then we have poha mixed with ground nuts in dried form, which also has a shelf life of one month. We also have millet puffs for kids," C Anandharamakrishnan, director of CSIR-NIIST, told PTI.

He said the prime aim was to pack and send food items that are readily consumable and have a longer shelf life. Anandharamakrishnan said their unit is equipped to produce more if further requirements come, and they aim to complete the first batch by Thursday evening. "We are planning to hand over the consignment to the Thiruvananthapuram district collector by this evening," the director said. NIIST never had a full-fledged production capability at their technology incubation cell, but they used the existing infrastructure and converted it into a round-the-clock production line.

"The retort process is a high-temperature, high-pressure process. With this process, any food item could be kept fresh for two to three months. A minimum of one month is our guarantee," V V Venugopal, head of the Department of Agroprocessing and Technology, said. He said the Poha mix does not have any moisture content, so it could be kept for longer days and readily consumed. These food packets will be sent to the landslide-affected area through the district administration, where they will be distributed among the survivors. (PTI)

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi took stock of the areas affected by the landslide in Meppadi, Wayanad and met the people affected by the tragedy. Before reaching Meppadi, Rahul and Priyanka visited the landslide-affected area of Chooralmala. AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal is also accompanying them.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has reached the landslide site at Chooralmala in Wayanad. Gandhi and his sister Priyanka had landed at Kannur airport at 9.30 am today and then travelled to Wayanad by road. AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal is also accompanying them. According to their itinerary shared by the party, after visiting Chooralmala landslide spot, Rahul Gandhi will visit a Community Health Centre, Dr Moopen's Medical College and two relief camps at Meppadi. Gandhi, who won from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 general elections, had again won from here this year. However, as he also won from the Raebareli LS seat in Uttar Pradesh, he gave up the Wayanad constituency from where Priyanka is expected to contest when a by-election is held there.

In the ongoing rescue operations in Kerala's Wayanad, the Indian Army managed to construct a 100 ft bridge overnight and open it for public in the morning. Giving information about the same, Army's Southern Command in a post on X said the bridge will aid the rescue operations and assist in quick evacuation of stranded people.

The India Army is carrying out rescue efforts at three locations Attamala, Mundakkai and Chooralmala in coordination with other rescue teams. In a post on X, Army's Southern Command said the officer leading the rescue operation met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier today and briefed him about the ongoing rescue operation. "Bodies recovered are being shifted to safer location for further action by civil administration. Maj Gen VT Mathew, officer in charge for all rescue operation of Indian Army at #Wayanad also met the Chief Minister of Kerala this morning and updated him and the state cabinet about the ongoing rescue operations," the post read.

Rescue operators in calamity-ravaged Mundakkai in Wayanad district say they require heavy machinery to remove huge trees uprooted in the landslides that buried several houses. Speaking to media, a rescue operator said: "We are standing on the terrace of a building, and a smell is emanating from underneath, indicating the presence of dead bodies. The building is fully covered with mud and uprooted trees." He said that excavators (Hitachis) are available for the operations, but they are insufficient for the task.
"Heavy machinery is required to remove the huge trees and carry out search operations in the collapsed buildings. Only then can we make progress in the search operations," he added.

Massive search operations led by a team of over 3,000 rescue workers are underway in landslide-hit Wayanad. Authorities, however, are still grappling to determine the exact number of people missing as the rescue operators fight adverse conditions, including muddy soil and rain, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings. State Revenue Minister K Rajan, who is in the disaster-struck region, coordinating the rescue efforts, told the media that the authorities are yet to finalise the number of missing people.
"Initially, we used the voter list to identify the missing persons. But since it does not contain the details of the children, we are now relying on ration cards and other details. We are trying to identify the missing people by checking the ration card details and with the help of Asha workers and the anganwadi workers," Rajan said. He said the rescue mission at Mundakkai is a massive one, as usually an incident like this will be limited to one or two kilometres, but in this case, the disaster has struck a massive area. "The bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar river at Pothukal (in Malappuram district). That shows the huge impact of this incident," Rajan said.

An all-party meeting begins in Wayanad under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The meeting is being held at APJ Hall in Wayanad Collectorate. Ministers camping in Wayanad, district MLAs, district panchayat president and political party leaders are participating in the meeting.

Congress leader and former MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi landed in Kannur earlier today and are on the way to Wayanad to visit the areas impacted by the landslides.

Police in Kerala have launched an investigation into an alleged social media campaign against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Facebook post requesting help for the people affected by the landslides in Wayanad district.

The State Police Media Centre (SPMC) on Thursday said that the Wayanad Cybercrime police has registered a case under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Disaster Management Act and launched a probe into the alleged spreading of a campaign with the intention of obstructing relief efforts. The SPMC, in its statement, further said that the fake campaign was circulated on social media platform X from a handle called 'Koyikodans 2.0'. The post was aimed at motivating people to reject the CM's appeal for disaster relief, it said.

Following a request from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Reliance Jio has installed a second dedicated tower to provide reliable connectivity in Wayanad to ensure there are no communication barriers during the rescue and relief operations following the devastating landslides. The company said that the move will help it expand its network capacity and coverage in the landslide-affected areas. It will also assist distressed residents, rescue workers, and disaster management teams on the ground.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took stock of the rescue and relief operations in Wayanad in wake of the deadly landslides that has left nearly 300 people dead, with many more missing.

Speaking to media, State Revenue minister K Rajan said the Chief minister arrived in Kalpetta at around 9:30 am and will chair a meeting with officials at 10:30 am following which he will visit the affected areas. " ...This day is very important, more than 1600 forces are involved in the rescue operations. Social workers are also involved," the minister said. Search and rescue operations by various agencies and armed forces continue in the landslides-hit areas in Wayanad where, according to the latest inputs recieved, the death toll has reached 287, with at least 200 more missing. Pinarayi Vijayan will also chair an all-party meeting in the hill district today.

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. Rahul and Priyanka landed were set to land at Kannur airport this morning.