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Rescue teams, including the Indian Army, NDRF, and local emergency services, are racing against time under severe conditions in Kerala's Wayanad to search for survivors trapped in collapsed buildings, three days after a massive landslide struck the hill district. The landslides that hit Wayanad on Tuesday resulted in at least 291 deaths and 206 people missing.
The rescue operations face numerous challenges, such as treacherous terrain from destroyed roads and bridges, and a lack of heavy equipment, complicating efforts to clear mud and large uprooted trees that have buried homes and buildings.
In response, the Indian Army has swiftly completed a 190-ft-long Bailey Bridge, which will facilitate access to the most affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, where the previous bridge was washed away in the landslide. Construction began at 9:30 pm on Wednesday and was finished by 5:30 pm on Thursday. The bridge was tested by the Army's medical unit and a military truck before being handed over to the civil administration.
On Friday, 40 rescue teams began operations in Wayanad's landslide-affected regions, divided into six zones: Attamala and Aaranmala (first), Mundakkai (second), Punchirimattam (third), Vellarimala village (fourth), GVHSS Vellarimala (fifth), and the riverbank (sixth). Additionally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expressing her condolences, announced that Trinamool Congress MPs Saket Gokhale and Sushmita Dev would travel to the affected areas to provide aid and support to the families impacted by the disaster.