Weather News Updates: 245 Dead In Wayanad Landslides; Kerala Govt To Establish Township For Displaced Persons

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The number of people who have died in the massive landslides that hit Wayanad district three days ago has gone up to 210, Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said on Friday.

According to the figures released by Riyas at a press conference here, 210 bodies, including that of 83 women and 29 children, have been recovered.

Of them, 119 bodies have been handed over to relatives of the deceased persons, the minister said.

Picturesque hamlets of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha in Kerala's Wayanad district now resemble a post-apocalyptic world with no traces of roads or streets after massive landslides triggered by torrential rains that struck early hours of Tuesday, killing dozens and leaving scores trapped or buried under silt and mud.

Fears of mounting fatalities have been sparked by suspicions that several people may still be trapped under the debris.

Wayanad, a hill district in northern Kerala, is known for its lush green forests, rolling hills, and sparkling waterfalls.

The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued a ‘red alert’ for extremely heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning over the next 36 hours in nine districts of Bihar.

It also issued an ‘orange alert’ for districts like Arwal, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Jamui, Jehanabad, Kaimur, Katihar, Khagaria, Lakhisarai, Munger, Nalanda, Nawada, Rohtas and Sheikhpura. 

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who visited the landslide-hit district with his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra -- termed the Wayanad landslides as a "terrible tragedy". 

Rahul said that such an incident "demands a unique and urgent response". He said that he would raise the matter in Delhi and also with state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as "this is a different level of tragedy and should be treated differently".

The Congress MP said that rehabilitation of those displaced is going to be very important, as a lot of survivors told him that they did not want to go back to the landslide-hit areas. 

"So, I think it is important that they are rehabilitated in a safe area and are not forced to go back. These are the things that we have already raised with the Government of Kerala," he said.

Rescuers deployed drones in a massive effort to trace about 45 people still missing in flash floods in three Himachal Pradesh districts as the death toll rose to eight, officials said on Friday.

Two bodies were found in Mandi's Rajban village and one from Kullu’s Nirmand after three cloudbursts in three districts -- Kullu, Mandi and Shimla -- on Wednesday night triggered the flash floods.

Around 300 people stranded around Shrikhand Mahadev in Kullu were safe and about 25 tourists at Malana are being looked after well by the locals, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said.

The meteorological office on Friday issued a 'yellow' alert for heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning in isolated places in ten out districts of Himachal Pradesh till August 6.

A total of 115 roads -- 46 in Mandi, 38 in Kullu, 15 in Shimla, six each in kangra and Sirmaur, three in Kinnaur and one in Lahaul and Spiti -- are closed for vehicular traffic following heavy rains in the state.

According to the state emergency operation centre, 225 transformers and 111 water supply schemes have been affected. Rain-related incidents have claimed 77 lives since the onset of monsoon on June 27 till August 1 and the state has also suffered losses to the tune of Rs 655 crore, according to the centre.

Search and rescue operation in Landslide affected areas in Wayanad enters 4th day.

 The IAF's Chinook and MI17 helicopters on Friday joined the rescue operations in Uttarakhand to evacuate pilgrims still stranded on the rain-ravaged trek route to Kedarnath. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said since the start of rescue operations on Thursday morning altogether 5,000 people have so far been evacuated to safety. 

They have either been airlifted or rescued manually by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, he said. 

Rain in parts of Delhi on Friday uprooted trees and caused waterlogging, hitting traffic movement at several places. Waterlogging in south Delhi led to long queues of vehicles.

The weather office sounded a 'yellow' warning, cautioning people to "be aware" of light to moderate rainfall, in the morning. This status was later changed to green, signifying "no warning."

Amid the waterlogging, the traffic police issued an advisory and asked commuters to avoid certain roads.

Traffic on a stretch of the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway, which had been blocked after a heavy rain, has been restored, authorities said on Saturday.

The stretch between Mandi and Pandoh was blocked Friday night following landslides caused by rain at 5 Mile, 6 Mile and 9 Mile. It took authorities 10 hours to open the road section.

The road was strewn with stones and debris, causing the administration to ask light vehicles to commute via Kataula and Gohar. A large number of vehicles were still stranded on the road.

The water level of the Ganga river is constantly rising, due to which the movement of boats in the river is seen to be less in Varanasi. Due to incessant heavy rain in hilly areas & release of water from dams in many places, the Ganga river is in spate.

Watch here:

The national capital on Saturday morning recorded a minimum temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, normal for the season, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The weather department has predicted a generally cloudy sky with light rain during the day. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 35 degrees Celsius. The humidity was 85 per cent at 8.30 am.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded in the "satisfactory” category with a reading of 71 at 9 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

Well-known actor Mohanlal, who is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army, on Saturday reached the landslide-hit Wayanad donning his army uniform.

The actor, who reached the Army camp at Meppadi, held a brief discussion with the officers and left for the landslide-hit zone along with others. "We are going to the affected areas now," Mohanlal told the reporters.

In a bid to locate people still believed to be trapped beneath the debris in landslide-ravaged villages, deep search radars will be deployed in the affected areas, a Defence PRO said on Saturday, PTI reported.

The Kerala government has requested the deployment of advanced radar equipment, including one Xaver radar and four Reeco radars, which will be airlifted from Delhi in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, along with their operators.

A massive rescue operation is currently underway in the affected villages in the Mundakkai region and along the Chaliyar river, where several bodies of victims have been recovered.

One person died after his car was swept away by water while crossing a submerged bridge in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, officials said on Saturday. The vehicle was crossing the submerged Kalyanpur Housing area bridge in Asansol when it was swept away by water.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) recovered the body on Saturday and sent it for post-mortem, they said. Locals said that the driver had been warned against crossing the submerged bridge.

(Via PTI)

Rescuers deployed drones in a massive effort to trace about 45 people still missing in flash floods in three Himachal Pradesh districts as the death toll rose to eight.

Around 300 people stranded around Shrikhand Mahadev in Kullu were safe and about 25 tourists at Malana are being looked after well by the locals, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said.

Mumbai city experiences strong winds and rainfall.

(Visuals from Marine Drive)

Two children of a family were killed and five others injured after their house collapsed following incessant rains in a village in Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district, news agency PTI reported.

The incident occurred at Rampura village in Gadarwara tehsil on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, said Rakesh Bohre, civil surgeon, Gadarwara Community Health Centre.

The family was asleep when their kutcha house collapsed, he said.

Several road diversions were washed away, trees uprooted and houses damaged due to incessant rain for the past two days in Jharkhand, news agency PTI reported.

However, no casualty was reported from any part of the state till now.The Jharkhand government has already ordered that all schools be closed on Saturday in view of the rains.

Incessant rain lashed Kolkata and its neighbouring districts on Saturday as a low-pressure area turned into a deep depression, news agency PTI reported.

As a result of the rains, waterlogging was reported from several parts of Kolkata. Similar was the scene in the neighbouring cities of Howrah, Salt Lake and Barrackpore. The situation would remain the same throughout the day, the weather office said.

According to the police, ankle-deep water was reported from parts of central and south Kolkata, but traffic movement was not disrupted.

In a press conference on Saturday, Kerala Chief Minister said that the rescue operations in Wayanad were nearing completion, with the focus on saving lives and relocating stranded individuals. Rescuers risked their lives to find and save anyone showing signs of life.

Repair work is being carried out by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on a road near Manali-Chandigarh NH 3 after it was damaged due to cloudburst.

Over 190 roads were closed in Himachal Pradesh, where continuous rainfall has affected most parts of the state in the past four days, even as the local weather office issued a 'yellow' alert of heavy rains till August 7.

Of the 191 roads closed for vehicular traffic in the state, 79 are in Mandi, 38 in Kullu, 35 in Chamba and 30 in Shimla, five in Kangra and two each in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts, according to the data released by the state emergency operation centre on Saturday.

AAP leaders and workers on Saturday held a protest near the Raj Niwas demanding the resignation of Lt Governor V K Saxena over a woman and her child dying after they slipped into a water-logged drain in east Delhi.

While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed that the drain comes under the jurisdiction of the Lt Governor-headed DDA, the Raj Niwas has said the portion of the drain they slipped into was under the AAP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The woman and her son drowned in the drain of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which is controlled by the LG, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar said during the protest. "This was a murder, not an accident and the officers responsible for it should be charged with murder," Kumar said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced that his government will construct 100 houses for victims of landslide-hit Wayanad. Taking to the social media post 'X', Siddaramaiah said in light of the tragic landslide in Wayanad, Karnataka stands in solidarity with Kerala.

"I have assured CM Shri @pinarayivijayan of our support and announced that Karnataka will construct 100 houses for the victims. Together, we will rebuild and restore hope," he said.

"Your commitment to building 100 houses for the victims of the tragic landslide is a significant step towards rehabilitation efforts. The compassion and solidarity of Indians are the strengths that Wayanad needs right now," he added.

A brave effort by forest officers to rescue a tribal family in Wayanad, where a severe landslide recently struck is making headlines. The visual of one of the officers holding a child close went viral on social media on Friday.

A team of four forest officers, led by K Hashis from the Kalpetta Range on Thursday, made a risky journey deep into the forest to save a family that included four young children, ages one to four.

Coast Guard airlifted two civilians who were stranded at Soochipara Falls in Wayanad on Saturday.

Rain lashed parts of Delhi on Saturday as the city's minimum temperature settled at 27 degrees Celsius, normal for the season, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)

The weather department said in the next two hours, light to moderate rain is likely to occur in some areas of the national capital, including Civil Lines, Dilshad Garden, Seemapuri, Kashmere Gate, Rajouri Garden, Red Fort, India Gate, ITO, Delhi Cantt, Akshardham, Palam, Safdarjung, and IGI Airport.

Himachal Pradesh Assembly LoP, Jairam Thakur inspected flood-affected areas of Kullu on Saturday.

Thakur told ANI, "The situation here is a matter of concern. The people were not able to recover from the past situations and this incident has occurred again...A huge loss has happened...Several people are missing...Rescue is underway by the central government and PM Modi has also assured that he will provide all possible help to the state..."

Indian Army Brigadier RP Singh arrived at the spot in Himachal Pradesh's Rampur, where an incident of cloudburst took place on August 1. He inspected the rescue and restoration work underway in Samej of Rampur.

Singh told ANI, "We have deployed a 20-ton excavator here. Five more excavators will reach here tomorrow. Work is going on in collaboration with the civil administration and NDRF. Efforts are being made to find as many bodies as possible in the search operation... Quadcopter, sniffer dogs have been used in the search operation...A footbridge was also installed to cross the river to facilitate movement ..."

The Kerala government on Saturday announced that a township will be established in a secure area to rehabilitate those displaced by the catastrophic landslide that occurred in the Mundakkai region of Wayanad district.

During a press conference here, Vijayan said a comprehensive rehabilitation process is planned and will be implemented swiftly.

Vijayan said various offers have come from the global community to provide land and construct houses.

A 'Help for Wayanad' cell has been formed under Joint Land Revenue Commissioner A Geetha IAS to coordinate these offers.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday took stock of the flood situation in Namakkal district as the Cauvery River, which is in spate, inundated the low-lying areas on the banks.

The Chief Minister visited the State Emergency Operation Centre here and personally interacted with the state and district officials and advised them to take appropriate steps to safeguard the people from inundation.

He was told that 11 relief camps have already been established in the district and about 1,086 people have been shifted to the camps.

Indian Coast Guard rescue team with Indian Army, and Indian Air Force teams today saved 03 personnel stranded at Soojipara waterfalls. The ICG search Team during their morning combing operation along river banks from Mundakai to Soojipara today, sighted 03 personnel stranded near waterfalls. The presence of survivors was immediately brought to the notice of the control centre at Mepadi and after strenuous Land/Air coordinated efforts by the forces, all the 03 personnel were rescued safely.

- ANI

Heavy rainfall leads to flooding in parts of Jharkhand’s Giridih district.

Sita waterfall in Ranchi also overflowed due heavy rain.

Search and rescue operations in landslide-affected areas in Wayanad entered 5th day on Saturday and drone visuals from Mundakkai area in Wayanad captured the devastation.

The animal husbandry department sent animal fodder in helicopters for the struck mules and horses after the landslide in Kedarnath Valley of Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand after roads were blocked due to cloudburst devastation earlier this week.

Dr Ashish Rawat, Chief Veterinary Officer, Rudraprayag told ANI, "Due to the disaster on the Kedarnath route, there was a lot of damage mainly on the Sonprayag-Gaurikund route and due to the blockage in transportation, movement of goods from Sonprayag to Gaurikund has stopped. Since most of the mules and horses take shelter in Gaurikund and are still present there, there was a possibility of food shortage for them in the future, in view of which we are supplying animal feed through helicopter from here to Chirbasa helipad. After this, horse and mule farmers can go there and get animal feed for their animals. Our temporary veterinary hospital is working in Gaurikund. If any kind of veterinary treatment is required, our team is present there...."

Kerala: According to sources, the number of people who died in Wayanad landslides stand at 245. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan held a press meet where he said a township will be established in a secure area to rehabilitate those displaced by the catastrophic landslide that occurred in the Mundakkai region of Wayanad district. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced that his government will construct 100 houses for victims of landslide-hit Wayanad.

Uttarakhand: The operation to rescue pilgrims stranded along a rain-ravaged trek route to the Himalayan Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand entered its third day on Sunday. More than 10,500 people have been evacuated, some airlifted by air force helicopters. Officials said around 1,300 pilgrims are stranded in Kedarnath, Bhimbali and Gaurikund, and are safe.

Jharkhand: Several road diversions were washed away, trees uprooted, houses damaged and a bridge collapsed due to incessant rain for the past two days in Jharkhand, an official said on Saturday.However, no casualty was reported from any part of the state till now, a disaster management official said. NDRF teams had been deployed in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi on Friday to rescue people from low-lying areas hit by incessant rains, he said. But, the situation is under control there, he said