Wayanad Landslide: Did Kerala Ignore Early Warning? Amit Shah's Big Statement | WATCH

New Delhi: In a statement made in Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah revealed that the Kerala government was given an early warning about landslides on July 23. Shah claimed that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government was alerted by the Centre a week before the deadly landslides hit Wayanad district on Tuesday, which left nearly 200 people dead. The Home Minister also mentioned that the Centre had dispatched nine NDRF teams to Kerala in response to forecast of heavy rainfall in the region.  

“My condolences to the bereaved families... I want to clarify something for the country... They kept on talking about early warning. I want to clarify that on July 23, the government of India gave an early warning to the government of Kerala, which was 7 days before the incident, and then on July 24 and 25 too early warning was given. On July 26, a warning was given that there was a chance of heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm, and there were chances of landslides, there could be mudflow and people could lose lives in this. Questions are being raised about the early warning system of the government... The government has spent Rs. 2000 crores after 2014 for the early warning system...", said Shah in Parliament. 

He added, "Under this early warning system, on July 23, at my direction, 9 NDRF teams were sent to Kerala considering that there could be landslides... What did the Kerala government do? Were the people shifted? And if they were shifted then how did they die?... The project of early warning started in 2016 and by 2023, India had the most modern early warning system... There are only 4 countries to predict 7 days in advance and India is one amongst them...”

Amit Shah on Wayanad Landslide

Wayanad Landslide 

The devastating series of landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district has claimed the lives of nearly 200 people, with the toll expected to rise as rescuers search through the debris. Over 180 people are missing and more than 300 houses were completely destroyed in the landslides that hit the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of the district, officials said.  

Of the dead, 75 have been identified and post-mortems of 123 have been completed. The recovered bodies are being kept at the Meppadi Family Health Centre and the Nilambur Government Hospital, an official statement said here.  

Union Minister George Kurian has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the landslide situation in Kerala's Wayanad district, with the central government assuring all possible assistance to the state for the rescue efforts of those affected by the tragedy. Kurian visited the people affected by the landslide in Wayanad.

"The situation is being monitored by the central government at the highest level. The Honourable Prime Minister is monitoring the situation and has deputed me to visit the affected areas. "Both control rooms of the Ministry of Home Affairs are monitoring the situation 24x7 and providing all possible assistance to the state," he is quoted as saying in a press release on Wednesday.

Search, Rescue Ops Intensified

Military personnel intensified search and rescue operations in Wayanad district, with the Army saying that it has recovered around 70 bodies so far and rescued nearly 1,000 people.Four columns from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre, Kannur, and 122 TA Battalion are conducting combined rescue operations along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state rescue teams, a senior Army official said.

Around 70 bodies have been recovered by the Army so far and approximately 1,000 people have been rescued, the official said.

Two Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) columns, including two medical teams, were airlifted from Trivandrum to Kozhikode by AN32 and C-130 aircraft. They arrived at Kozhikode airport late Tuesday night and stayed overnight, the Army said.

Movement of fuel and other administrative stores is planned by road, the officials said.

Brig Arjun Seagan, Commandant of the PARA Regiment Training Centre, arrived with his team late on Tuesday night. They conducted a reconnaissance of a potential bridge site and established a control centre for coordinating the Army's HADR efforts, supported by the commandant of the DSC Centre, they said.

Heavy engineering equipment and rescue dog teams were airlifted and disaster relief teams were dispatched by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday.

The state government has requested the deployment of a 690-feet Bailey bridge. Currently, up to 330 feet of the bridge is being moved from the Madras Engineer Group Centre, Bengaluru, by road. The remaining parts are being airlifted from Delhi Cantonment, the Army had said late on Tuesday.

The Indian Army is coordinating closely with state authorities to ensure swift and effective relief efforts, officials added. "Construction of a bridge on the Meepadi-Chooralmala Road will commence, including the induction of certain earthmoving equipment to the other side of the stream utilising air effort," the Army said on Wednesday.