Wayanad landslides: Search operations enter sixth day; chances of finding survivors remain bleak

Search and rescue operations in Wayanad landslide disaster zone continue as grim death toll rises to 219.

The grim roster of missing persons touched 206, even as the search and rescue operations in the landslide-struck localities in the Wayanad district entered its sixth day on August 4. 

Joint teams of the Army, Navy, Air Force, NDRF, Kerala Police, Fire and Rescue Department, volunteers, and local guides fanned out across the wide swath of  Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Punchirimattam and Attamala localities levelled by the catastrophic landslide that hit the Vythiri taluk early on July 30. 

A simultaneous search is on downstream Chaliyar River for bodies washed up on shores or remaining trapped in submerged detritus of the massive earthfall.

Sniffer dogs, ground-penetrating radars, aerial survey drones and scuba drivers are assisting in the search. The Wayanad district administration has requisitioned the service of HAM radio enthusiasts to ensure connectivity to far-flung localities and police wireless and mobile phone blindspots. 

The HAM radio groups have set up repeater stations and were using cars kitted out with wireless transmitters to help emergency responders and law enforcement agencies extend their reach. 

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The Army has carved out a motorable land route to Punchirimattam, one of the worst-hit disaster zones and the supposed originating point of the landslide.