Kerala landslides: 201 people dead, 264 injured, says health department

As many as 201 people have died and 264 were injured in the massive landslides that hit Wayanad district three days ago, the Kerala health department said on Friday, 2 August.

According to the figures released by the department, 201 bodies, including that of 82 women and 28 children, were recovered.

Additionally, 130 body parts were also recovered, it said.

So far, 327 autopsies, including that of body parts, have been performed, the department said, adding that 116 bodies were handed over to relatives.

Besides that, 264 people were injured in the disaster and of them 176 have been discharged, two have been referred to other hospitals and 86 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the district, the department said.

Kerala health minister Veena George, in a Facebook post, said that ICUs have been prepared in government hospitals in Wayanad for the treatment of those seriously injured in the landslides.

She also said that genetic samples have been taken from the 130 body parts recovered so far.

Earlier in the day, Wayanad district collector Meghashree D.R. said they were in the process of identifying the body parts through genetic testing.

Kerala ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar said, in the morning, that approximately 300 people were still missing.

The district administration had also said that 9,328 people have been relocated to 91 relief camps in Wayanad.

Several people remain missing and rescue operators are battling adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings looking for survivors or bodies.