Kerala landslides: Rescue operations enter fifth day, 215 bodies recovered
In a bid to locate people still believed to be trapped beneath the debris in landslide-ravaged villages, deep search radars will be deployed in the affected areas, a Defence PRO said on Saturday.
The Kerala government has requested the deployment of advanced radar equipment, including one Xaver radar and four Reeco radars, which will be airlifted from Delhi in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, along with their operators.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the search and rescue operations have entered their final stages, but 206 people are still missing.
Addressing the media here, he said there is difficulty in identifying the dead bodies and parts recovered from the Chaliyar river.
«Till now, 215 bodies have been recovered, of which 87 are women, 98 are men, and 30 are children. As many as 148 bodies have been handed over so far. There are 206 people missing. Eighty-one people are injured and are under treatment in various hospitals,» he said.
Referring to the rehabilitation efforts, Vijayan said a secure region will be identified and a township will be constructed.
He said the education minister will visit the schools destroyed in the region, and the education department will take the necessary steps to ensure that the studies of the disaster-struck children will continue.
The day also saw the arrival of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in the landslides ravaged areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, in his capacity as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, to oversee the search and
