Red alert for 3 Kerala districts till August 11 as 5 killed after landslide in Idduki

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad in Kerala till August 11, even as at least five people were killed on Friday after a landslide in one of the districts.

Officials said the torrential rains triggered a massive landslide in the state’s Idukki district on Friday, trapping more than 80 people in a mound of slush and debris.

Rescuers retrieved at least five bodies and rushed to free more tea estate workers feared trapped under debris in a residential area in Rajamala area near Munnar, officials said. They added that at least 10 people have been rescued so far.

The area has been witnessing torrential rains since the last three days and has been totally cut off, local officials have said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a tweet that a team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has been deployed in the rescue efforts.

“An NDRF team has been deployed to rescue the landslide victims in Rajamalai, Idukki. Police, Fire Force, Forest & Revenue officials have been instructed to join the rescue efforts. Another team of NDRF, based in Thrissur, will soon reach Idukki,” Vijayan said.

E Chandrasekharan, the state’s revenue minister, said the injured could be airlifted for better treatment even as the government sought the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to evacuate the victims.

According to reports, another landslide took place on the way to the Sabarimala hill temple in Pathanamthitta.