Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Leads Rescue Efforts in Wayanad Disaster

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 31: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that rescue operations in Wayanad, which faced an unprecedented disaster, are continuing at full scale. A total of 1,592 people have been rescued through extensive and coordinated efforts.

Vijayan stated, “Rescue operations in Wayanad are continuing at full scale. This is an unprecedented and painful disaster.” So far, 144 bodies have been recovered, including 79 men and 64 women, with 191 people still missing. Efforts are ongoing to evacuate as many people as possible and provide necessary medical treatment to those rescued.

Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that the state ignored timely weather warnings, Vijayan said, “Media provides accurate warnings, and weather alerts are always taken seriously in the state. This is not the time for mutual accusations. The facts are clear to everyone.” He explained that an orange alert was in place, and a total of 572 millimeters of rain fell over 48 hours, exceeding warning levels.

Vijayan clarified that no red alert was issued before the disaster, and it was only issued after the landslide occurred. He emphasized that the Central Water Commission did not issue any flood warnings for the Punnappra or Chaliyar Rivers from July 23-29.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated in Rajya Sabha, “Early warning was given, that is why on July 23, we sent nine teams of NDRF and three more were sent yesterday. Had they become alert the day the NDRF teams landed, a lot could have been saved. But this is the time to stand with the government and the people of Kerala.”

Vijayan highlighted that Kerala requested NDRF teams at the start of the monsoon season, which helped avert a larger catastrophe. He stressed the need to combat climate change-induced disasters without placing blame.

The state cabinet has raised the demand for the landslides to be declared a national disaster. Vijayan will visit Wayanad on August 1 for a state-level all-party meeting. Currently, 82 relief camps in Wayanad are accommodating 2,017 individuals, with additional army personnel and helicopters aiding rescue efforts.

“Today, an additional 132 army personnel have arrived to support the rescue efforts. Two helicopters are also being utilized for the rescue operations. Post-mortems were conducted both yesterday and last night. A team of doctors from four cooperative hospitals, including those in Kozhikode and Thalassery, will also arrive to assist,” Vijayan added.