Wayanad Landslides news live updates: Death toll rises to 143, hundreds missing as rescue operations continue

The death toll in the Wayanad landslides tragedy rose to 143 as of July 30 evening.According to Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the postmortem of 116 bodies has been completed.

The two massive landslides that washed away Mundakkai and Chooramala areas of Vellarimala village took place under Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad on Tuesday morning. The landslides destroyed several houses, uprooted trees and made water bodies swell, hampering the rescue work.

Meanwhile, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), "Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places in Kerala on July 31 and August 1." The weather department has predicted heavy rainfall for August 2. Additionally, it said, "Strong surface winds with speeds reaching 30-40 gusting to 50 kmph are likely to prevail occasionally over Kerala on July 30 and 31."

Earlier, the death toll in the landslides was reported at 108. As many as 128 individuals were reported to be injured after the massive landslides hit the hilly areas of Wayanad.The injured have been receiving treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad. Rescue operations are ongoing in the affected areas.

Efforts are underway to locate missing persons and continue with all available resources. The first landslide occurred at 2 am, followed by another at 4:10 am, causing immense damage to homes and livelihoods. Many areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, have been isolated, and roads have been washed away. The Vellarmala GVH School was completely buried.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose have expressed their condolences and offered assistance on the incident.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday to coordinate rescue operations in the landslide-hit Meppadi areas of Wayanad and discuss further steps on it.In the meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the rescue operations.The Chief Minister also reviewed the coordination with the central government agencies, the deployment of disaster response forces, health and safety precautions and the facilities in the relief camps.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the Wayanad landslide incident and said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations. Addressing the press conference, Vijayan said, "The landslide in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. There was extremely heavy rainfall. An entire area has been wiped out. We have recovered 93 bodies so far, but the numbers may change. There are 128 people receiving treatment for injuries. Many who went to sleep last night have been swept away."

-ANI