Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the exact number of fatalities in the Wayanad landslides will only be confirmed after DNA test results are obtained. Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, he stated that DNA samples from recovered bodies and body parts have been sent for testing. He emphasized that the death toll should not be inflated by counting each recovered body part as a separate individual.
While unofficial reports suggest that 413 people have perished in the landslides, the official death toll currently stands at 225. Till date, 420 autopsies of bodies and body parts have been conducted, and 233 funerals have been held. Search operations are ongoing for the 131 people who remain missing from Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Punchirimattam following the landslides on July 30.
Currently, 14 relief camps are operating in the Meppadi panchayat, providing shelter to 1,942 people, including 735 men, 743 women, and 464 children. The government has decided to allocate 91 government quarters for the rehabilitation of those displaced by the landslides.
In a significant announcement, the Chief Minister urged the public to stop sending relief materials to those in the camps, as food supplies have started to spoil due to surplus donations. He mentioned that seven tons of clothing donated to the camps had to be disposed of as they were found to be old and unusable.
The Chief Minister also revealed that the central government has responded positively to the state’s request for a comprehensive rehabilitation project. A nine-member panel, led by Home Ministry Joint Secretary Rajiv Kumar, has been formed to explore the possibility of declaring the landslides a national calamity. The state is also anticipating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Wayanad on Saturday.
Amid the ongoing search efforts, the Chief Minister announced a mass search drive involving both search personnel and the affected residents. He noted that landslide victims would be permitted to search the areas where their homes once stood.
