Kerala: Forest officials rescue four children, parents who were stranded in a cave in landslide-hit Wayanad

A team of forest officials carried out an operation to save four tribal toddlers and their parents from the landslide-hit Wayanad district of the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The rescue operation took four and a half hours on one way.

The forest officers’ team, composed of four people, reached the top of the hill where the family was reportedly stranded in a cave.

It was led by Kalpetta range forest officer K Hashis.

State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lauded the forest officials for their brave act.

“Six precious lives were saved from a remote tribal settlement after a tireless 8-hour operation by our courageous forest officials in landslide-hit Wayanad. Their heroism reminds us that Kerala’s resilience shines brightest in the darkest times. United in hope, we will rebuild and emerge stronger,” the CM posted on X.

More than 300 people died after massive landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district this week.

Rescue operation still ongoing

The Indian Navy continues with the rescue and relief operations at landslide affected areas of Wayanad district, amidst inclement weather and difficult terrain.

Additional personnel, stores, resources and essential supplies were mobilised from INS Zamorin to augment the relief efforts and support local community impacted by the disaster.

Presently, 78 Naval personnel are involved in the ongoing rescue operations. The teams have been deployed into multiple locations of Chooralmala and Mundakkai area and are working hand in hand with the disaster relief forces and local administration.

One of the teams was deployed at the river base for maintaining continuous supply of material, food and provisions to the affected people while the other teams have been deployed to search for survivors, clearing of debris and recovery of bodies. A medical post has been set up at Chooralmala to provide medical assistance to the injured.

A team of 03 officers and 30 sailors augmented the efforts of the Indian Army in assembling and constructing the crucial Bailey Bridge over the river connecting the regions of Chooralmala and Mundakkai which were isolated by the landslides on 01 Aug 24.

The bridge serves as the backbone of logistics support enabling movement of heavy machinery and ambulances.

On 02 Aug 24, Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) of INS Garuda operating from Calicut undertook aerial recce of the affected areas for survivors and locating bodies.

The helo airlifted 12 state police personnel along with rescue equipment to the disaster area, which were inaccessible by road. The sortie was conducted over the hilly terrain in low visibility and challenging weather conditions.