Search operations commenced early Saturday, mobilizing over 1,300 rescuers equipped with heavy machinery and advanced technology to search for survivors amid the devastating landslides that have claimed over 200 lives. Private search and rescue companies, along with volunteers, have joined the efforts led by the army, police, and emergency service units.
However, the rescue efforts are being significantly hampered by massive boulders and logs deposited in residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala by the landslides, making it difficult to locate individuals trapped beneath the debris. The death toll has risen to 308, with 273 others injured from the extensive landslides that struck Wayanad district in the early hours of July 30.
Approximately 300 people are feared missing as rescue teams contend with challenging conditions, including waterlogged soil, while searching through destroyed homes and buildings. On Friday, the district administration segmented the landslide-affected areas into zones, utilized GPS to map potential rescue sites, and gathered aerial photographs and cellphone location data. Additionally, ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dog squads have been deployed to locate bodies buried deep under the debris.
A significant number of medical professionals, both from the armed forces and civilian sectors, along with ambulances, are on standby in the area to provide immediate assistance if any survivors are discovered. The 190-foot-long Bailey bridge, built by the army and handed over to the Wayanad administration on Thursday, has so far been pivotal in the ongoing rescue operations.