The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a ‘red’ alert for Wayanad predicting extreme rainfall on Tuesday even as massive landslides struck various hilly areas near Meppadi in the district, killing more than 50 people.
The ‘red’ alert has also been issued for neighbouring Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur districts, indicating extremely heavy rainfall.
The weather department has also issued an ‘orange’ alert in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, and Palakkad districts on Tuesday, and in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts on Wednesday.
Notably, a ‘red’ alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, an ‘orange’ alert means very heavy rainfall, and a ‘yellow’ alert indicates heavy rainfall.
Landslides in Wayanad
As heavy rainfall continued to lash Wayanad, three back-to-back massive landslides struck the district, in which over 40 people died, and hundreds of others are still feared to be trapped and missing. According to Kerala minister MB Rajesh, around 250 people have been rescued so far and shifted to temporary shelters.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said that members of the fire and rescue, civil defence, NDRF, and local emergency response teams are involved in the rescue operations. An additional team of NDRF and two teams of Kannur Defence Security Corps have also been instructed to move to Wayanad to assist in the rescue efforts. Two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17 and an ALH, are also coordinating the rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office, in a statement, said that a control room has been established to provide immediate relief and rescue assistance. The CM has also given directions to coordinate the rescue operations in Wayanad promptly and announced that the entire government machinery is actively involved in the efforts, with ministers overseeing and coordinating the operations.
(With inputs from PTI)