Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: The body of an Odisha-based doctor who had gone missing in Wayanad, when landslides triggered by rain swept the area, has been found, Odisha Minister Suresh Pujari said on Wednesday.
The deceased doctor identified as Krushnaprasad Chinnara had along with his wife Priyadarshini Pal and two other doctors had gone to Bengaluru on July 26 from where they reached Wayanad on a vacation on July 29.
While Priyadarshini and Swikruti Mohapatra have been rescued and are undergoing treatment at hospital, the third doctor Swadheen Panda is still missing.
Minister Pujari had told ANI earlier that, “Two families from Cuttack district’s Choudwar, who were tourists were trapped (in the landslide). The two women have been found and are admitted to a hospital and two men are missing. All of them are doctors…”
“We hope all of them will return safely…we are discussing with Kerala government and contemplating to send officials to Kerala…to assist in the search operation for the missing people from Odisha,” the State Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management said.
Pujari said that Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha is in contact with his counterpart in Kerala.
The Odisha government has sent a team comprising Director Mo Parivar Dilip Routray to Kerala. “We hope all of them will return safely…Many people are still trapped. Government of India and the Prime Minister has sent NDRF, Air Force and Navy for rescue operations,” Pujari said.
Devastating landslides in Wayanad’s Mepaddi and Chooramala areas triggered by heavy rains flooded areas in the locality and left at least 158 people dead.
Earlier today, the Indian Army ramped up its rescue operations and successfully evacuated more than 1,000 people from affected areas to safety.
The Army’s Southern Command said that up to 1,000 personnel have been rescued so far using man-made bridges and human effort.
Despite adverse climatic conditions and poor visibility, Indian Air Force Helicopters also conducted search and rescue operations in Wayanad rescuing stranded people from a narrow strip of land.
The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai, a town, and the second in Chooralmala. The massive landslides wreaked havoc in the region, damaging houses and roads, uprooting trees, and swelling water bodies, which hindered rescue operations. Relief and rescue efforts are currently underway.
The first landslide occurred at 2 am on July 30, followed by another at 4:01 am, causing immense damage to homes and livelihoods.
Many areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, have been isolated, and roads have been washed away. The Vellarmala GVH School was completely buried.