Search operations continued in the landslides-hit areas of the Wayanad district in Kerala on the sixth day on Sunday with more force and equipment.
The search operations on Sunday focused on the Mundakkai and Panchirimattam areas. Advanced radars, drones, and heavy machinery are being used by rescue teams.
The search teams continued its operations in the 40-kilometre stretch of the Chaliyar River that flows through the Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts as many bodies and remains were recovered from it near Nilambur in Malappuram.
The latest efforts by various agencies, including the Army, the Navy, the police, the fire and rescue teams, and the NDRF, along with local residents, recovered three more bodies and 13 body parts from the river on Saturday.
These recoveries bring the total number of bodies found in the Chaliyar River to 73 and body parts to 132, making a grim total of 205. The river carried these bodies, or rather parts of human bodies mutilated by the vengeful landslide, for around 25 km to Pothukallu near Nilambur in Malappuram district
Meanwhile, the death toll in the Massive landslides in Wayanad has risen to 365. However, the official count stands around 240. A total of 148 bodies have been identified and handed over to their relatives while 206 people are still missing.
Among the deceased, 30 are children. It has been reported that 49 children from the affected region remain unaccounted for, with some being students of Vellarimala GVHSS. The exact number of missing students from the school is still unknown, as authorities continue their efforts to ascertain the details.
The devastating landslides have destroyed approximately 3,700 acres of agricultural land, leading to a staggering crop loss of Rs 21.111 crore
Meanwhile, the Health Department is operating 24-hour counselling sessions in the 17 relief camps in the Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad to address the emotional issues faced by the survivors of the deadly landslides. Around 2,000 psychological counselling sessions and 400 group counselling sessions have been conducted for the survivors from the disaster-struck zones of Mundakkai and Chooralmala area.