The rescue operations in the landslide-hit areas in Wayanad continued for the fifth day on Saturday as there are still 218 people missing.

Rescue workers belonging to Army, NDRF, Fire Department and navy personnel continued to extricate victims’ bodies and body parts from the debris and slush, strewn with large boulders and tree stumps.

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The death toll in the devastating landslides that hit at Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Wayanad on Tuesday morning touched 360 on Saturday.

At least, 86 persons are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad. As many as 9328 persons are now in various relief camps in the district.

According to official figures, up to 215 people have been confirmed dead so far and 143 body parts have been recovered. The post-mortem examination of 212 bodies and 140 body parts have been completed.

Special teams have been formed to collect and analyse DNA samples from body parts and that of dead bodies to identify the victims and match them to their nearest relatives. The bodies retrieved include 85 women and 29 children.

146 bodies were identified. The identified bodies have been handed over to the victims’ families after autopsies. The district administration estimates that 218 people are still missing based on Aadhaar records, tourist arrival data, and inputs from ASHA workers and the injured.

74 unidentified bodies will be cremated in public cemeteries. Identification of the bodies is a tough task as most of them are disfigured.

The relief workers recovered around 133 body parts from the landslide-hit spots and the Chaliyar river. The health officials have collected genetic samples of the body parts to identify the deceased.

A police officer in Pothukallu in Malappuram said that they are registering a first information report (FIR) for every body part found, considering them as individual dead bodies, which seems to have resulted in the media reporting a higher death toll.

According to official sources, 215 autopsies have been completed so far and 146 bodies were identified. The identified bodies have been handed over to the victims’ families after autopsies.

The district administration estimates that 218 people are still missing based on Aadhaar records, tourist arrival data, and inputs from ASHA workers and the injured.

As many as 74 unidentified bodies will be cremated in public cemeteries. Identification of the bodies is a tough task as most of them are disfigured.

Identification of bodies based on genetic samples is a time consuming process, but is considered essential to avoid bodies being wrongly claimed and ensuring monetary compensation.

Internationally, Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) is a laborious and complex process which requires compliance with standards and quality assurance of forensic tests. There are four phases for DVI.

Three youths who got stuck in the forest area in Soochippara forest area, were rescued by the rescue teams on Satueday.Two of them were airlifted by the air force, while the other one was rescued by using ropes.

It has been reported that they were trapped in the Soochippara area while searching for the bodies of Wayanad landslide victims washed downstream by the swollen Iruvanjipuzha river adjacent to the disaster zone.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a township will be constructed in a safe place for the rehabilitation of disaster victims in Wayanad.

Pinarayi Vijayan urged the wether agencies to make the weather prediction more specific and accurate. He said that the weather prediction models should be made more contemporary, location-specific, and accurate so that disaster mitigation measures can kick in early to save lives.

In this connection, Lt Col and actor Mohanlal announced Rs 3 crore aid for the rehabilitation of the landslide-hit Wayanad from his charitable organisation ViswaSanthi Foundation. His announcement came soon after visiting the landslide-hit sites.

Speaking to reporters in Wayanad, Mohanlal said, “The disaster that occurred in Wayanad is one of the biggest disasters India has ever seen. What’s lost cannot be recovered. We need to focus on improving our future lives.”