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Kerala: Idukki landslide death toll rises to 24, search on to trace missing persons amid continuing rains

Idukki: The landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall at Rajamala near Munnar and occured when a hillock at a tea plantation came down, burying a row of quarters of estate workers — 78 people living in 30 rooms.

Kerala landslide, Idukki landslide, rajamala landslide, rajamalai landslide, kerala landslide death toll, Munnar, kerala news, kerala rainfall, Kerala IMD forecast, kerala government, Pinarayi Vijayan , Indian express Idukki: The landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall at Rajamala near Munnar and occurred when a hillock at a tea plantation came down, burying a row of quarters of estate workers — 78 people living in 30 rooms. (Source: Kerala PRD)

Kerala rains: The death toll in the Idukki landslide rose to 24 even as efforts were underway amid inclement weather to locate those missing. While a total of 15 persons had been rescued, nearly 40 others were feared to be trapped in the debris spread over at Rajamala near Munnar.

“The death toll has gone up to 24. The search operations are still going on. However, rains have started. Despite that, our officials, and the NDRF are engaged in search and rescue operations,” Idukki District Collector H Dineshan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The Police, Fire service personnel and the locals have teamed with two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to locate the missing persons. The rescued persons have been hospitalised with serious injuries.

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The landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall at Rajamala near Munnar and occurred when a hillock at a tea plantation came down, burying a row of quarters of estate workers — 78 people living in 30 rooms—on Friday. The workers and their families were sleeping and most of them could not escape.

Information about the landslide only went out after daybreak as communication networks were snapped after a bridge and roads leading to Rajamala from Munnar were washed away in the downpour. Rescue teams led by NDRF reached the spot in the evening. By then, the local people had rescued as many as 15 people and shifted them to a hospital.

Festive offer Rescuers work at the site of a mudslide triggered by heavy monsoon rain in Idukki district, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo)

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had told the media that the state had taken steps to shift people out of landslide-prone areas. “But the landslide at Rajamala was unexpected as that area had not been identified as prone to landslides. If required, the state would seek the assistance of the Army and Navy. In the wake of the mishap at the estate, all district collectors have been asked to ensure safety of people living in estate quarters in the state,’’ he had said yesterday.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in the incident and all those injured will be provided free treatment

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In other parts of the state, several towns have been inundated after rivers overflowed due to heavy downpour for the fourth consecutive day. Rivers have overflowed in Kottayam, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts in central Kerala. People have been shifted to relief camps in areas close to the rivers in keeping with Covid-19 protocols.

Kerala landslide, Idduki landslide, kerala landslide death toll, Munnar, kerala news, kerala rainfall, Kerala IMD forecast, kerala government, Pinarayi Vijayan , Indian express The link between Kodagu and Kerala via Makkuta-Virajpet has been severed as landslides have been reported with the highway caving-in at Vaatekolli near Perumbadi.

The Met Department has predicted extremely heavy rain in a few places in the state in the coming days. Red and orange alerts have been issued in various districts of monsoon hit Kerala.

For today, a red alert was issued in Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad & Kannur districts. For August 9, an orange alert has been sounded in Pathanamthitta, Alapuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Kasargod districts.

According to the State Disaster Management Authority, Kerala received an average rainfall of 95 mm in the last 24 hours while Vadakara in Kozhikoderecorded 32.7 cms of rain, the heaviest in the state. Vaythiri in Wayanad received 19.3 cms of rain while Peerumedu in Idukki district 18.5 cms.

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In the four-month-long Southwest monsoon season, which began in June first week, Kerala has reported a total of 51 deaths till Thursday night due to various incidents of drowning, landslides, and tree fall.

With PTI inputs

First uploaded on: 08-08-2020 at 20:57 IST
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