Idukki: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday visited the site of Rajamala landslide in Idukki district as the death toll in the incident went up to 55.
They interacted with survivors and local residents and evaluated relief work during their visit.
Two NDRF teams, a full unit of Idukki fire and rescue team, a team each from Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, and a team that received special training are leading the rescue operations in Idukki’s Rajamala, the District Information Office had said on Sunday.
On Friday, Kerala Chief Minister had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs to the 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.
Meanwhile, three shutters of the Walayar Dam in Palakkad district opened by one centimeter each, due to the rise in water level. The current water level of the dam is 200.86 meters, while the maximum water level of the dam is 203 meters.
Heavy rains in several parts of Kerala triggered floods and landslides, which have wreaked havoc in the region over the past few days.