NEW DELHI: The death toll in Tuesday’s multiple landslides in India’s southern state of Kerala crossed 150 on Wednesday, with nearly 100 others still missing, an official from the local revenue department confirmed to Xinhua over the phone.
Rescue work is still going on, with more than 140 injured persons admitted to different local hospitals, he said.
“Out of the total dead bodies, 75 have been identified, and process is on going to ascertain the identity of the rest. Besides, 97 persons, including 54 women and 43 men, are still missing,“ a local police official told Xinhua.
According to him, nearly 50 relief camps had been set up, accommodating more than 3,500 people who were rendered homeless after being hit by the landslides.
Triggered by heavy rains, three landslides had struck Meppadi area in Kerala’s Wayanad district early on Tuesday while people were still asleep. Media reports said that it was a massive natural tragedy rendering huge losses, including loss of human lives and property.
“Death toll in Wayanad landslides touched 156, with rescue operations on a war footing. Hundreds more are feared trapped as multiple agencies and the Indian Army race against time to save as many lives as possible,“ said an online report by India Today on Wednesday. - Bernama, Xinhua
