The incessant monsoon rains in Idukki district of Kerala caused a landslide in a tea plantation estate, near Munnar burying almost 30 worker quarters in the early hours of Friday. Rescue operations have been underway since Saturday morning with NDRF chief Rekha Nambiar leading a 55 member search and rescue team.
The death count has climbed to 43, including 3 children. Over 25 people are missing and 11 people are being treated for injuries. Local roads and communication systems have been affected severely, hampering the rescue operations. The heavy downpour and opening of Pamba dam gates have caused significant flooding in many districts with the Meteorological Department issuing a red alert for 7 districts. The state government announced a compensation of 5 lakhs to the kin of the deceased.
“At Rajamala, we have declared the initial financial assistance. There the rescue operations are not over yet. We need to hold them together as we have the responsibility of taking care of those who lost everything. We also need to ensure their livelihood and rebuild their lives,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in the press meet.
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Hundreds of families have been shifted to relief camps from-low lying areas including Kumarakom and Kuttanad regions of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, officials said. 1,203 flood-affected people have been shifted to relief camps in Ernakulam district. There are separate camps for different categories of people, considering the spread of Coronavirus.18 people are staying in the camps set for quarantined people, district administration officials said.
