Kerala CM expresses gratitude to Tamil Nadu govt for contributing Rs 5 cr aid for Wayanad landslides

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 3 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his gratitude to the Tamil Nadu government for contributing Rs 5 crore towards the relief efforts in landslide-hit Wayanad, which claimed more than 300 lives in the state.

Vijayan thanked Tamil Nadu Public Works Minister EV Velu for contributing the relief amount on behalf of CM MK Stalin.

“Heartfelt gratitude to @evvelu for the generous contribution of Rs 5 crore towards relief efforts in landslide-hit #Wayanad on behalf of @mkstalin and Tamil Nadu. Your support and solidarity are deeply appreciated and will greatly aid in the rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts,” the Kerala CM posted on X.

Earlier, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said on Saturday that so far, all the bodies have not been recovered and the focus is on rescue and relief.

“We are at a loss of words. This is an hour of crisis, an hour of tragedy. All our focus is on rescue and relief. So far, all the bodies have not been recovered. So rescue work is in operation. Wayanad presented a very brilliant example of the coordination between the central government and the state government. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coastal Guards, and NDRF reached at the spot in no time. They build a bridge so that ground zero can be accessed,” Governor Khan said.

“10,000 people are living in relief camps. After this emergency gets over, we will have to shift our focus to rehabilitation of these people,” he added.

The Kerala Governor also mentioned that the Prime Minister immediately gave instructions to all the agencies of the central government, particularly the defence forces, after getting information about the disaster.

In a display of coordination and bravery, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Indian Army, and Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday successfully rescued three personnel stranded at Soochipara Waterfalls, located in landslide-hit Wayanad district of Kerala.

During their morning combing operation along the river banks from Mundakai to Soochipara, the ICG search team sighted three individuals stranded near the waterfalls. The presence of the survivors was immediately reported to the control centre at Mepadi.

A coordinated land and air rescue operation was swiftly launched, involving ICG, Army, and IAF teams. The combined efforts of these forces, utilising both ground and aerial resources, resulted in the safe rescue of all three personnel.

The death toll from the massive landslides that occurred on July 30 in Chooralmala and Mundakkai of Wayanad stands at 308 as of Friday, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said.

As per the latest update, 215 bodies and 143 body parts were recovered, including 98 males, 87 females and 30 children. The post-mortem procedures were completed on 212 bodies and 140 body parts and 148 bodies have been identified by relatives so far.