Wayanad landslides: Kerala govt issues burial guidelines amid recovery efforts

As more and more bodies and body parts are recovered from the landslide-hit areas of this north Kerala district with many remaining unidentified or unclaimed, the state government has issued guidelines, including collection of DNA and dental samples, for burial of the remains.

According to the guidelines issued by the Disaster Management Department, an identification number shall be assigned to each body or body part and the same shall be clearly mentioned in all the samples, photographs or videos of the remains and the record of material objects associated with the body.

It further said that police shall make all possible efforts to identify the bodies or body parts and if identification was not possible, they shall release the body to the district administration for further action after 72 hours from the time of inquest.

"The district administration shall inform Meppadi panchayat and the panchayat or municipality in which the burial site is located. In cases where the doctor concerned has advised, in writing, immediate burial due to decomposition or otherwise, the body shall be released to the district administration immediately without any waiting period.

"The disposal of bodies shall only be in the form of burial," the guidelines issued on 2 August said.

The district administration has been directed to ensure burial of the body with clearcut markings of the identification number at the spot of burial.

It was also directed that the burial shall take place in the presence of officials of the panchayat or municipality where it is carried out.

"The district administration shall maintain necessary records of the burial location details for reference," the guidelines said.

Similar are the guidelines for bodies which are identified but not claimed and where identification is contested or doubtful.

The guidelines also directed that the actual cost of burial shall be certified by an appropriate authority authorised by the District Disaster Management Authority, Wayanad for the purpose and "the actual expenditure for each case shall be met from the State Disaster Response Fund".

According to the district administration, 210 bodies and 139 body parts have been recovered from the landslide-hit areas and around 218 people are missing.

However, Kerala ADGP M R Ajith Kumar had on Friday, 2 August said that approximately 300 people are still missing.

The district administration, on Friday, had also said that 147 of the recovered bodies have been identified by relatives.