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The death toll in the Wayanad landslide has risen to seven after rescue teams recovered one more body from the affected site on Friday, while the search operation continues for one person who remains missing.
Kerala Minister T Siddique said the latest body recovered has been identified as Rajesh, a native of East Midnapore in West Bengal. The body was recovered from the Meenakshi River downstream from the landslide site and was identified by his family members. "The body of Rajesh, who hails from East Midnapore in West Bengal, has been recovered from Meenakshi River down the stream. His family identified the body. It has now been shifted to taluka headquarters hospital. After the postmortem, the body will be shifted to Calicut Medical College for embalming. Then the body will be airlifted to his own location," Siddique told reporters. The minister said that one person, identified as Vikram Rana, the project manager, is still missing and rescue teams are continuing intensive search operations to trace him. "One more person is missing, Vikram Rana. He is the project manager and the search is in full swing," Siddique said. The landslide occurred on July 7, triggering a large-scale search and rescue operation in the area. Multiple agencies have been engaged in the operation since then, with heavy machinery being deployed to remove debris and facilitate the movement of rescue personnel. Authorities said the operation is continuing under challenging conditions as teams work to locate the missing individual. Meanwhile, Kerala Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday criticised the state government's response to the landslide, alleging a lack of coordination among ministers and claiming that facts were being distorted regarding environmental clearances for the proposed tunnel road project. After visiting the landslide site, hospitals and relief camps, Vijayan reiterated that the opposition would continue to support the government in dealing with the disaster but expressed concerns over the information being shared by the administration. "I had visited the incident spot, hospital and camp. I have already said that our support is there to the government in this situation. It is a good thing that the Chief Minister has announced an investigation," Vijayan said. However, he objected to the Chief Minister's remarks regarding environmental issues linked to the proposed tunnel road project. "Facts should not be distorted regarding the issue of environmental clearance being obtained for the tunnel road. What the Chief Minister said in the press conference is incorrect regarding environmental issues in the area," he added. The landslide occurred at around 11:15 am on Tuesday within a 200-metre radius of the tunnel construction site at Kalladi in Meppadi Grama Panchayat, burying large portions of the worksite under debris estimated to be 7 to 10 feet deep. (ANI)
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