Wayanad landslide: Death toll rises to 143; schools, colleges closed in Kerala

Wayanad : After a series of landslides in Wayanad District of Kerala, the death toll has climbed up to 143, over hundreds of others are injured and trapped. With landslide many houses were disrupted, roads and trees were uprooted. The rescue operations are being carried out to find and locate the missing persons.

According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), members of the fire and rescue, civil defence, NDRF, and local emergency response teams are involved in the rescue operations. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode are also at the site. Along with this, two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17 and an ALH, are also coordinating the rescue operations.

It has been learned that over 120 people have been rescued so far. The injured persons have been shifted to the nearby hospitals for treatment.

Meanwhile, the postmortem of hundred and sixteen bodies have also been completed.

To ensure safety of residents in the area, the authorities have decided to keep all educational institutions closed on Wednesday (July 31). The holiday has been declared in 11 districts - Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta.

The India Meteorological Department has also issued an orange alert for Wayanad and other neighbouring districts, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall on July 31st and August 1.