215 people lost their lives including 87 women and 30 children in the Wayanad district of north Kerala. Four days of massive landslide hit this. Apart above 500 were hospitalized and 218 people are missing.
Rescue and search operations are being conducted on 40 teams of armed forces, NDRF, and other agencies deployed. For rescue operations, the entire affected area is divided into six zones.
During yesterday's discussion session on Wayanad in the Parliament, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that, on 18th July, an earlier warning was issued that Kerala would receive more than normal rainfall in western coastal areas. On July 23rd, it was reframed to very heavy rainfall. On July 25th, more specifically to “heavy to very heavy rainfall.
Central Government issued a fresh draft notification declaring over 56 thousand 800 square kilometers of Western Ghats across six states as an ecologically sensitive area. These states are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.