A team of 40 Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Tamil Nadu is engaged in disaster relief works in the landslide-hit areas of Kerala’s Wayanad district.
The team is stationed at Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Attamala localities in Vythiri taluk of the district, where a series of landslides have claimed more than 270 lives, with around 240 people still missing.
Personnel from Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur and Dindigul joined rescue efforts at landslide-affected areas on Wednesday morning.
“The team has carried three emergency rescue tenders, one troop carrier, and the necessary equipment for rescue and relief operations. The task largely involves removal of debris and a lot of digging, tools like cutting machines, digging machines, shovels, etc. have also been included,” said P. Saravanakumar, Joint Director of Fire and Rescue Services (Western Region), who is leading the team in Wayanad.
Coimbatore District Fire Officer P. Pulukandi, also part of the team, said the fire brigades from Tamil Nadu are working alongside the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services, who are familiar with the terrain. The work largely involves clearing of building debris and tree trunks to search for missing persons, he said.
The Tamil Nadu team has also taken with them rubber boats, ropes and other rescue tools.
Accompanying the Fire and Rescue Service personnel from Tamil Nadu is a 20-member team of the Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force (TNDRF) to assist with relief efforts at areas devastated by multiple landslides in the early hours of July 30.
Published - August 01, 2024 07:05 pm IST
