The Wayanad district administration has released a list, which says that 130 individuals are still missing after devastating landslides struck the region particularly affecting the villages of Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Punchirivattam. Among those missing are 24 children, 57 women, and 49 men. Three migrant laborers from Bihar are also included in the list.
The list, released on August 10, was the result of an extensive and coordinated effort led by the Wayanad Assistant Collector, M Goutham Raj. A team comprising Block-level officers, ASHA Workers, Anganwadi Workers, people’s representatives, former representatives, and school representatives worked tirelessly to compile the data.
“This list has been prepared after the hard work of coordinating various agencies through scientific means. The district administration has undertaken unparalleled work for this purpose, starting with information collection and investigation,” read a statement from the Chief Minister’s office.
The Department of Economics and Statistics, the National Informatics Center, and the IT Mission played crucial roles in preparing the list and ensuring accuracy by recording additions and omissions. Initially, a draft list of 138 missing persons was released, which was later revised daily to the current 130 names.
The data was prepared using ration card information collected from the 10th, 11th, and 12th wards of the Meppadi panchayat. Children's information was gathered from Vellarmala Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Mundakai GLP School, and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Records of guest workers and others were obtained from the labor office. All this information served as the basis for the preparation of the list.
The Assistant Collector has stated that the data is 90 to 95% accurate. The district administration has requested that the public contact them at 8078409770 to provide updates or report any changes to the list.
The official death toll was confirmed to be 229. Of these, 148 bodies were recovered from Wayanad, and 81 bodies have been found in the Chaliyar River in Nilambur. Additionally, 189 body parts have been recovered.