Relief and search operations in full swing in landslide-hit areas of Himachal Pradesh and Kerala
AMN
Relief and rescue operations continue in Uttarakhand for the second day today to take the pilgrims stranded in Kedarnath Dham to safe places. More than six thousand people have been rescued safely from Kedarnath till now. The rescue operation is being carried out more rapidly with the help of Chinook and MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Army. About three thousand three hundred people from the affected areas of Kedarnath to Sonprayag with the help of NDRF, SDRF and police, while more than seven hundred people have been brought to safer places with the help of helicopters. Passengers are also being airlifted from Bhimbali and Lincholi and taken to Shershi and Guptkashi.
About five hundred pilgrims are still stranded here. Due to rain and landslides, the Kedarnath Yatra has been stopped till further orders. The police have issued helpline numbers for the families of the pilgrims and local people stranded at various places in Kedar Valley. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly monitoring the Uttarakhand disaster situation. The Prime Minister’s Office has been apprised of the situation after heavy rains and landslides in the state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah today spoke to Chief Minister Dhami over the phone and inquired about the disaster in various places of the state. During this, the Home Minister assured all possible assistance for the safety of the people of the state and the devotees.
In Himachal Pradesh, a search operation is underway to find the missing people due to heavy rains and cloud burst incidents in various areas in the past few days. Joint teams of NDRF, STRF Police, Home Guard, Fire Brigade and other agencies are carrying out the rescue operation. Meanwhile, four people trapped in the tunnel of Malana Dam in Kullu district have been rescued safely. On the other hand, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will visit the disaster-affected area Samej. The search operation to find the missing people in Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rains and cloud burst incidents on the night of 31st July continued again this morning. It is noteworthy that cloud burst incidents in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi of the state have caused huge damage to life and property and a total of 55 people are missing while 2 have lost their lives. Meanwhile, the remaining four people trapped in Malana Dam in Kullu district have also been safely rescued by the rescue teams today. Deputy Commissioner Kullu Torul Ravish said that the condition of all of them is stable. In these cloud burst incidents, the Samej area of Rampur sub-division of Shimla district has been most affected and 36 people are missing here. Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap has said that a special search operation has been launched in an area of up to 85 kilometres to find them. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will visit the disaster-affected Samej area of Rampur today and meet the families of the affected and missing people.
Search operations in Kerala are on a war footing in the multiple landslides that hit Wayanad. The massive disaster that struck on Tuesday has reportedly claimed nearly 300 lives so far. On the fourth day of the search operations led by the armed forces, 4 persons were rescued by the Army from the Padavettikunnu area. The survivors including a woman and a girl were airlifted. The search is currently being conducted in the worst-hit regions of Churalmala, Mundakai, Attamala, Chaliyar river coasts etc. There are more than 1,500 rescue workers in 40 teams. Search operations are progressing with the help of heavy machines, sniper dogs etc amidst the huge pile of displaced soil and rock, boulders, and uprooted trees. The construction of the Bailey Bridge by the army in the region facilitated the movement of machines and equipment into the area swiftly. Authorities had informed that all measures will be taken to find the missing persons. Over 9,000 people are presently in 91 relief camps in Wayanad. In Kerala, rescue workers found four persons belonging to a family in the Padavettikunnu area of the landslide hit the Wayanad district. All four are safe and healthy. The Army persuaded them to vacate their house and evacuated them to a relief camp.