Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accompanied by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, visited the landslide site in Kerala’s Wayanad district. The Congress leaders took stock of the situation in the area and met the affected people. Gandhi was an MP from Waynad in 17th Lok Sabha. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called the visit by the Congress leaders as “Tragedy Tourism”.
After witnessing the tragedy first hand the former Wayanad MP said, “It is a terrible tragedy for Wayanad, for Kerala and the nation. We have come here to see the situation. It is painful to see how people have lost family members and their houses. We will try to help and make sure that survivors got their due. There is a lot that needs to be done here. I would like to thank all those including doctors, nurses, administration and volunteers.”
Getting emotional after seeing the horror of the tragedy Gandhi further said “Today, I feel how I felt when my father died. Here people have not just lost a father but an entire family. We all owe these people respect and affection. The whole nation’s attention is towards Wayanad”.
As many as 256 people died so far after three landslides struck Wayanad on Tuesday, following heavy rain. Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages in the Kerala district were the worst hit during the landslides.
Over 200 people are also injured in the landslides. The Army has rescued around 1,000 people and 220 people are still missing, as rescue operations entered the third day on Thursday.
A Command and Control Centre has been set up in Kozhikode by the Army for coordinating Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts, PTI reported. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said, “At least 1,500 Army personnel have been deployed for the rescue operation. We have deployed forensic surgeons.”
The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted more rain for Wayanad and several other districts over the next couple of days. A red alert for heavy rain has been issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts.
Several countries, including the US, Russia, China and Iran, expressed condolences over the deaths due to landslides.
