Heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in the north and central parts of the state with the total number of casualties rising to 10, as on Friday morning. However, as per unofficial reports, the death toll has risen to 14.
Among these, two people died in a landslide at Pazhassi colony, Wayanad and two died in a flash flood at Kuttiyadi, Kozhikode, as per statistics given by the state disaster control room.
Wayanad and Nilambur in Malappuram are the worst affected with landslides reported from Pazhassi colony and Puthumala in Wayanad. According to reports, rescue personnel have not been able to reach Puthumala as the road is inaccessible due to a landslip.
The NDRF personnel have rescued 54 people from Puthumala in Meppadi, Wayanad where a huge landslide occurred, and one more team is on the way to Wayanad. The area has been cut off as there is no connectivity. According to latest reports, three bodies have been recovered from the area.
The Chief Minister’s Office said that it is a major landslide that has occurred in Meppadi, Wayanad.
As many as 315 relief camps have been opened with the highest in Wayanad at 105. The number of families in relief camps are at 5,936 with people housed there numbering 22,165.
Mathrubhumi reports that four members of a family died at Edavanna in Malappuram after their house collapsed. Three people are reported missing in Vilangad, Vadakara in Kozhikode owing to a landslide in Kannavam forest.
Palakkad town and Pala town in Kottayam in central Kerala have been flooded. In Attappadi, some of the tribal hamlets are reportedly cut off. People have been shifted from the affected areas to relief camps in boats as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have resumed operations.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has alerted that water level in Periyar, Valapattanam, Kuthirapuzha and Kurumanpuzha rivers has risen, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office said in a statement.
The CWC has also warned that rivers in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod are likely to overflow and hence people living on the banks of the rivers should be on high alert.
According to a report in News 18, a 50-acre valley in Puthumala has been devastated in the floods. A mosque and three labourers’ colonies in the area have been submerged, and it is feared that many people are stranded there.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan has assured that the state is fully equipped to deal with the situation and people shouldn’t panic. The CM on Thursday night visited the State Disaster Management Authority headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram to assess the situation.
The CM reiterated that those who are living in vulnerable areas should be shifted to relief camps and that they should cooperate fully.
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