Kerala Landslide: Death toll mounts to 270, nearly 225 persons still missing in Wayanad

Rescue workers made their way through the debris looking for signs of life amid mud, stones and slush in Wayanad on Wednesday as the death toll rose to 270. About 225 persons were still missing.

Two additional columns of Army from Thiruvananthapuram reached Meppadi, the site of the landslide, amplifying the rescue efforts. Twenty ambulances transported bodies of persons, washed away in rains and recovered from the Chaliyar river at Nilambur, back to Wayanad.


The government declared a holiday for schools and colleges. Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala suffered the worst catastrophe in landslides caused by continuous rains and swollen streams on Tuesday morning. Although the weather conditions improved on Wednesday, conditions on the ground made it tough for rescue workers to use vehicles.

Army choppers dropped food and water to stranded residents and volunteers. Madras Engineering Group began construction of the bridge between Chooralmala and Mundakkai. The bridge is critical for transportation of food, water and medicines to the stranded families.

The first landslide occurred at Mundakkai town around 2 am amid heavy rains, pushing several people under the debris and into gushing water streams. As rescue teams swung to work, a second landslide hit near Chooralmala school two hours later. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah assigned labour minister Santosh Lad and two senior IAS officers to join the rescue efforts in Wayanad. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan urged people to respond generously to the people in distress.

“In times of tragedy, holding hands is the purest form of solidarity, a promise that no one faces adversity alone. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference,” he said in a post on X. BJP Kerala president K Surendran said the Vijayan government ignored alerts issued by the Centre in the last week of July. “The state government and their INDI alliance partner Congress must be held accountable for this disaster. Disaster prevention is crucial, and political posturing only diverts from real solutions,” he said in a post on X.