Wayanad landslides Day 5: Rescuers hoping against hope as 300 still missing in Kerala district

As search operations entre the fifth day on Saturday, rescue teams, using advanced technical gadgets and dogs, continue to look for survivors or recover bodies buried under.

The debris of the devastating Wayanad landslides, one of Kerala’s worst natural calamities. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan posted on Facebook that radars are detecting even slight movements, offering glimmers of hope.

The number of bodies recovered from the Wayanad landslides has risen to 210, while 187 people have been discharged from hospitals. However, around 300 people are still missing with little hope of them being alive.

However, a family of four was rescued from an isolated house near Padavetti Kunnu on the fourth day of the deadly landslides, giving hope to hundreds of rescuers searching for survivors.

Around 40 rescue teams, along with cadaver dogs, are conducting search operations in six zones of the landslide-hit areas. The dogs are using their keen sense of smell to help find survivors trapped in the rubble.

A daring rescue operation by forest officers saved four toddlers and their parents from a tribal community. The team, led by Kalpetta Range Forest Officer K Hashis, trekked deep into the forest to rescue the family.

An official involved in the operation said that a “blue signal”, signalling potential breath sign, was received on the radar while searching the area of a house in the severely affected Mundakkai village. However, the search concluded on Friday evening as the rescue personnel determined it was unlikely anyone was alive under the debris.