Massive landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district; 5 dead, several feared trapped

Wayanad (Kerala): Five people, including two children, were confirmed to have died in landslides that hit Kerala’s hilly Wayanad district on Tuesday, authorities said.

Of those killed, four people, including a child, died in the Chooralmala town of the district, while a one-year-old child of a Nepali family died in the Thondernad village, according to the Wayanad district authorities.

The Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.

Massive landslides struck various hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala’s Wayanad district early on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of people suspected to be trapped.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has said that Fireforce and NDRF teams have been deployed to the affected area, with an additional NDRF team en route to Wayanad.

Two teams of Kannur Defence Security Corps have also been instructed to move to Wayanad to assist in the rescue efforts, according to a Facebook post by the KSDMA.

Rescue operations are being hindered by ongoing heavy rainfall.

(PTI inputs)