30 July,2024 12:50 PM IST | Thiruvananthapuram | mid-day online correspondent
NDRF personnel engaged in rescue operations following Wayanad landslides/ PTI
The Kerala government has asked the Defence Forces for aid with rescue operations following the deadly Wayanad landslides.
According to a Defence PRO, a team of 43 personnel, commanded by the Second-in-Command of the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been summoned to assist with the rescue attempts. This team consists of a Medical Officer, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 40 soldiers who are all prepared to provide essential help in the impacted area, reported PTI.
According to the report, a Defence statement, about Wayanad landslides, indicated that, based on a requisition received from the Kerala government on Tuesday morning, "for the rescue of approximately 250 persons likely to be stranded in a major landslip in Meppadi Panchayat" in Vythiri Taluk, two rescue columns of the Indian Army, with around 200 soldiers from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre in Kannur, along with a medical team from Military Hospital Kannur and troops from the Territorial Army in Ko
The statement further stated that assistance was requested from both the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. Two relief columns from the Defence Security Corps Centre in Kannur outfitted with rescue equipment, have been dispatched for rescue and relief efforts following the deadly Wayanad landslides.
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"Two helicopters from Air Force Station Sulur were dispatched for rescue operations. The weather in the afflicted area is bad, but they will take off again for disaster relief activities," the press release was cited in the PTI report.
Meanwhile, a state government release stated that a request for Navy help was issued on the Chief Minister's instructions. The Navy's River Crossing Team from the Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kannur will leave immediately for Wayanad.
The deployment of these forces aims to bolster existing rescue operations and provide relief to those affected by the Wayanad landslides triggered by heavy rains. The landslides, which occurred early on Tuesday, have caused significant destruction, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted.
The picturesque villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha have been cut off from other areas, leaving many residents stranded, the PTI report added.
With PTI inputs
