Wayanad, Aug 6: The death toll from the devastating landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district has reached 402 with 170 people including Odisha’s Dr. Swadhin Panda still reported missing as the rescue operations entered the eighth day on Tuesday.
A robust rescue team of over 1,200 personnel from various Defense forces, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, fire services, and volunteers commenced their search early in the morning. The efforts are concentrated in the worst-hit areas of Churalmala, Velarimala, Mundakayil, and Punchirimadom.
Special teams are also combing the Chaliyar River, where several bodies and dismembered body parts have been recovered over the past few days. DNA tests are being conducted on all such remains to aid in identification.
In the region, over 100 relief camps, primarily set up in educational institutions, are housing more than 10,300 people displaced by the disaster.
It is worth noting that two doctors from Odisha, along with their wives, were on a vacation to Kereal when the devastating landslide occurred. The body of Dr. Bishnu Prasad Chinara was recovered on July 31, while Dr. Swadhin Panda remains untraceable. The wives of both doctors, Priyadharini Pal and Swikruti Mohapatra, are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital after being rescued in critical condition.
Apart from this, a team of five personnel of Berhampur police has left for Wayanad with a search and rescue dog named ‘Storm’.
The team will join the search and rescue operation in Wayanad following a request from Kerala government to send the dog, said Berhampur DIG Dr Sarthak Sarangi. Storm is the only canine in the K-9 Squad which can be engaged in carrying out search and rescue operations.
The six-year-old Storm, a German Shepherd, has the expertise to trace dead bodies and survivors from the debris, said Dr Sarangi.
