WAYANAD: A total of eight unidentified bodies of landslide victims were buried in a grave at Puthumala on Sunday night, accompanied by funeral prayers as per Hindu, Muslim and Christian beliefs by religious leaders who stood next to each other. The tragic intensity of the disaster that wiped away two villages was evident at Puthumala, which itself bears the scars of another landslide that claimed 17 lives and wiped away a plantation settlement in 2019. Emotional sights abounded when the bodies of persons shattered by the landslide were united in grief and brought to the burial site - 64 cents handed over by Harrison Malayalam Plantations, where 30 graves were dug up.
Several people, including relatives of missing persons, had reached the spot at 4 pm to pay their last respects in the hope that their loved ones could be there among the unidentified bodies and body parts. The govt, meanwhile, said in a release that 221 bodies and 166 body parts (taking the toll to 381) had been recovered so far. The bodies included 87 women and 37 children while 172 of them have been identified.
Revenue minister K Rajan said the number of missing persons had come down to 180 from 206 earlier, as authorities could contact some of them over phone. Officials to work 24x7: CM On Sunday, Union minister for state Suresh Gopi visited the affected locations. Asked about the demand to declare the landslides as a national disaster, he said it was a matter that should be examined.
He lauded the rescue ope.