Wayanad landslides: 2 doctors who went to Kerala for vacation missing; search on

Two doctors from Odisha who had gone to Kerala on Monday for a vacation are missing, officials said.

The development comes at a time when Kerala’s Wayanad is affected by devastating landslides that left at least 158 people dead.

Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said the special relief commissioner of Odisha is in contact with his counterpart in Kerala.

Also Read: Wayanad landslides: Why Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi not visiting Kerala today

Dr Bishnu Rasad Chinhara and Dr Swadhin Panda had gone for a vacation in Kerala with their wives.

“We hope that the two missing doctors and their wives will soon be reunited with their families in Odisha. Though their wives have been traced, we still have no news about the two doctors. NDRF is on the job and sniffer dogs are being used to find the survivors,” said Pujari.

The couple had come to Wayanad on July 29 where they had checked into Linora Villa hotel.

However, the landslides in Meppadiand Chooral Mala hill areas on Monday night flooded the areas in the locality.

Chinhara’s father Amar Prasad Chinhara said he last spoke to his son on Monday night after they checked into the hotel.

“My daughter-in-law was rescued on Tuesday, and she called up from someone else’s mobile phone as they have lost everything in the landslide. There is no news about my son so far,” he said.

Dr Panda’s wife Swikruti is critical and undergoing treatment in a hospital.