Kerala: Idukki landslide death toll at 43; NDRF resumes rescue operation

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) resumed rescue operations in Idukki's Rajamala on Monday morning as the death toll in the landslide incident rose to 43.

In a tweet, SN Pradhan, the Director-General of NDRF said that teams are battling odds of rain, slush and terrain.

"#KeralaRains2020 UPDATE 10/08/2020 #Landslide,Munnar @NDRFHQ work on site w/State/local agencies. Battling odds of rain/slush/terrain etc. OPS RESUMED SINCE MORNING TODAY," Pradhan tweeted.

Two NDRF teams, a full unit of Idukki fire and rescue team, a team each from Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, and a team which received special training are leading the rescue operations in Idukki's Rajamala, the District Information Office had said on Sunday.

It added that 105 members of Kerala Armed Police, 21 members of local police, and 10 members of Rapid Action Force were also present on the spot of the landslide.

On Friday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs to kin of the deceased.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also expressed his condolences over deaths due to landslide and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the kin of deceased.

Heavy rains in several parts of Kerala triggered floods and landslides which have wreaked havoc in the region over the past few days.

(ANI)

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