Kerala Landslides: Disaster Relief Teams, Rescue Dogs Dispatched

Heavy engineering equipment and rescue dog teams are being airlifted and disaster relief teams have been dispatched by the Indian Coast Guard after a series of landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district on Tuesday.

Extremely heavy rain triggered a series of landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday, leaving at least 123 people dead and 128 injured. Many were feared trapped under the debris.

"As a tragic disaster struck at Wayanad in the wee hours, Indian Armed Forces swung into immediate action and 300 military personnel were moved forthwith to commence rescue operations. During the day, additional columns of Army, naval teams and helicopters from the Air Force were mobilised to assist the rescue and relief efforts," the defence minister's office said on X.

"All out efforts are underway as additional troops, heavy engineering equipment, rescue dog teams and other essential relief stores are being airlifted by service aircraft from Trivandrum, Bengaluru and Delhi," it added.

Earlier in the day, it had said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi to take stock of the rescue and relief work undertaken by Army units.

Meanwhile, the ministry in a statement said the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) district HQ (Kerala & Mahe) and ICG station in Beypore dispatched disaster relief teams (DRT) to the affected areas.

"The DRT comprising highly trained ICG personnel and dedicated medical team have been mobilised to provide immediate relief and support to the communities impacted by the disaster," it said.

The teams are equipped with essential disaster relief materials such as rubber inflatable boats for rescue operations, diesel-driven pumps to manage water and drainage issues, life jackets for safety, raincoats and gum boots for personnel protection in adverse weather and other earth-clearing implements for clearing debris and accessing affected areas, the statement said.

"The ICG also dispatched food materials, drinking water and other essential supplies to support the affected population. The distribution of these supplies is being coordinated with the district disaster management team to ensure efficient aid delivery. ICG is working closely with local authorities to mitigate the impact of this disaster," it added.

An Army official said an initial request for assistance was received at 4:30 am. The official requisition followed at 10:30 am.

Early deployments included two Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief columns from the Defence Security Corps Centre, Kannur, and two HADR teams from the 122 TA Battalion, Kozhikode.

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, Bangalore, by road. The remaining parts are being airlifted from Delhi Cantonment, the Army said late on Tuesday.

Two additional columns from the 91 Infantry Brigade in Thiruvananthapuram are on standby and will be airlifted by the Indian Air Force, it added.

Army officials said a control centre was being established in Kozhikode under Brigadier Arjun Segan, commandant of the Para Regimental Training Centre.

This centre will coordinate all HADR efforts on the ground.

Teams from the 122 TA Battalion are assisting the National Disaster Response Force in rescue operations and damage assessment.

The Indian Army is coordinating closely with state authorities to ensure swift and effective relief efforts, officials added.

One 110-feet Bailey bridge is being airlifted from Delhi. Additional engineering resources will be mobilised based on assessments by the engineer recce team, they said.