NEW DEHI/ WAYANAD: At least 106 killed, several feared missing and hundreds are feared trapped after three landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district in four hours amid heavy rain. A severe landslide occurred following heavy rainfall, with fears that hundreds may be trapped. The landslides struck early on July 30, affecting Mepadi, Mundakkai Town, and Chooral Mala. Reports suggest that 106 people have died due to the landslides.
According to reports At least 106 people have died and hundreds are feared trapped after three landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district in four hours amid heavy rain. Multiple agencies, including NDRF, have joined the rescue ops in the hilly areas near Meppadi.
Multiple agencies, including NDRF and forces, have joined the rescue operation. About 116 people are injured and have been admitted to hospitals in the district, the state revenue minister’s office has said.  A special control room has been set up by the district administration at the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. The death toll is likely to go up further given the number of people missing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased in the landslides that hit Kerala’s Wayanad Kerala government announced that two days, July 30 and 31, will be observed as state mourning. All state government programmes have been deferred.Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan this morning and assured all help to the LDF government. He has also asked BJP chief JP Nadda to ensure that party workers assist in rescue work. 
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former MP from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi, will visit the district following the deaths of over a 100 people after massive landslides in the region.  He will be flying in to Mysore from Delhi, and from thereon will travel to Meppadi by road. At Meppadi, he will visit two relief camps set up at schools, and the WIMS hospital.  Former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has said he is “deeply anguished” by the calamity and expressed his condolences to families who lost their own. “I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon,” he said in a post on X. Mr Gandhi said he had spoken to the Chief Minister and the district collector, who assured him that rescue operations are underway. “I have requested them to ensure coordination with all agencies, set up a control room, and inform us of any assistance needed for the relief efforts,” he said.
Amid the calamity, Kerala is bracing for more rain, as the weather office has issued a red alert for eight districts. This alert has been issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. Four districts are under orange alert — Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts.
Among the affected areas are Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha, authorities have said. Many roads have collapsed and a bridge has been swept away and several areas have become unreachable, Health Minister Veena George told news agency ANI, “We have to re-establish the connectivity. Helicopters will also be brought in, but the weather is bad.” The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced that the state Health Department has opened a control room. Those in need of emergency assistance can contact authorities on helpline numbers 9656938689 and 8086010833. He  confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday evening that 93 bodies have been recovered so far after multiple landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rain in the Wayanad district.
The Indian Army was roped in as a temporary bridge that linked the affected area to a nearest town was also destroyed. The Army has mobilised four columns, including two columns ex 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) and two ex the DSC Centre, Kannur. Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force have also been mobilised, said a statement from Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that more than 250 people have been evacuated to a safer location and 300 personnel have been deployed for rescue operations after a landslide hit the Meppadi area of Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday. Speaking at the Rajya Sabha, Rai said,  PM has been monitoring the situation and has instructed Union Minister George Kurian to visit the incident site and assess the situation in Kerala. “Prime Minister Modi instructed Union Minister George Kurian to go and assess the situation in the affected areas.

Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, who was the chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), has termed the disaster in Wayanad a man-made tragedy, attributing it to the Kerala government’s failure to implement crucial ecological recommendations. Gadgil criticised the State government for not adhering to the panel’s guidelines designed to prevent such disasters amid extreme climate changes.
On the rescue operation at the Wayanad landslide site, Defence PRO Sudha S. Namboothiri tells ANI, “…Around 130 soldiers are moving ahead towards Wayanad. Most of them will be airlifted by Indian Air Force aircraft and the rest will be proceeding on the road…Defence Security Corps Centre Kannur with its 200 soldiers have already gone there and the Territorial Army 122 infantry battalion Madras, they are also there…It seems ward number ten is in a really bad shape and they have been doing their best…”
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan says “Kerala Bank has already contributed Rs 50 lakh to CMDRF. The Chief Minister of Sikkim has pledged Rs 2 crore, and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has promised Rs 5 crore in aid. In response to the disaster in Wayanad, the state has declared two days of official mourning. Public events and celebrations have been postponed. We request that the national flag be flown at half-mast as part of the mourning period.” (Bureau Report with Media Inputs).

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