Three days since a landslide battered Kerala's hilly district of Wayanad, killing over 319 people, rescue personnel on Friday found four people, holed up inside a remote, marooned home in the Munakkai hamlet. The two men and two women were rescued by the Army officials and moved to a relative's house.
Army officials identified them as Johnu, Joemol, Abraham Mathew and Christy, hailing from the Padavettikunnu area in Mundakkai. V T Mathew, a top army commander, told Reuters that all four were not buried. "They were just in a remote area," he added. One of the women suffered an injury on her leg.
Rescue officials added that they received information about them on Friday morning. "They were holed up inside a homestay, on the right side of the area which was washed away by the landslide. They decided to stay put after being convinced that the worst was over. They had pets with them and were reluctant to move from their house despite nobody living in the area anymore," the officials added.
However, the rescue personnel convinced them to relocate to a relative's house and were safely moved from the area.
Meanwhile, a drone-based radar has been brought to Wayanad from Delhi to identify bodies buried in debris. Four cadaver dogs are also on their way to Wayanad from Chennai to help in rescue operations.
On Friday, the authorities formed 40 search teams to cover over six zones. Besides a three-pronged search operation has also been launched, focusing on the Chaliyar river.
Our Indian Army constructed a huge Bailey Bridge in Wayanad in record time.
— Sunanda Roy 👑 (@SaffronSunanda) August 2, 2024
Salute to our bravehearts 🫡 pic.twitter.com/KJBnparVW8
Local swimming experts have also been roped into searching the river for bodies that may have flown downstream or been trapped along the riverbanks. The operations will be monitored by eight police stations, along the 40-km stretch of Chaliyar. The search will also focus on the riverbanks and areas where bodies may be trapped.
Simultaneously, another search operation is being conducted using a police helicopter.
The District Collector said GPS coordinates from aerial drone pictures and cell phones, including the last location of people who lived in the landslide-hit areas, have been used to identify spots where search and rescue operations can be focused.
