India landslides rescue operations speed up with new metal bridge

CHOORALMALA, India: The search for survivors and bodies after devastating landslides in Kerala is expected to speed up on Friday (Aug 2), after the army completed construction of a bridge that will help in transportation of heavy equipment to the affected area.
Heavy rain in the southern coastal state of Kerala, one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, caused landslides in the hills of Wayanad district early on Tuesday, sending torrents of mud, water and tumbling boulders downhill and burying or sweeping people to their deaths as they slept.
Rescue efforts were hampered initially after the worst affected area was cut off from the nearest town of Chooralmala as the main bridge was washed away. 
Heavy vehicles had begun to ply on the 58m bridge constructed by army engineers, and drones with earth-sensing technology to find bodies buried in mud are being brought in, the army said in a statement.
Rescue teams have deployed additional forces, including swimming experts, to focus on the Chaliyar river and its river banks where bodies are likely to be found.
The hope for finding survivors in the debris is low and authorities said they are most likely to only retrieve bodies. However, finding survivors has not been ruled out.
The disaster, the worst in Kerala since deadly floods in 2018, has led to the death of 189 people with 206 still missing, according to officials. 
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that as of 6am on Friday, the death toll had risen to 308. She added that about 100 people were in hospital, include a 45-day-old baby in intensive care.
About 8,000 people have been put up at about 20 camps, she told CNA’s Asia First on Friday.
 “The most important thing is … we should not allow another tragedy to happen because there is a possibility of spread of contagious diseases,” the minister added.
“We are taking every measure at every possible step to avoid the spread of contagious diseases.”
In the short term, the priority is ensuring the physical and mental health of those affected, Ms George said.
She added that in the long term, the affected need rehabilitation, including the building up of township.
“It is really a challenging situation for the state,” added Ms George, who is also the state’s Woman and Child Development Minister.  
Experts said the area had received heavy rain in the last two weeks that softened the soil before extremely heavy rainfall on Monday triggered the landslides.
Nearly 1,600 people have been rescued from hillside villages and tea and cardamom estates during the last two days, according to authorities, with nearly 350 buildings damaged.