Wayanad Collector asks people living in landslide-prone areas to shift to safer places

Wayanad: As rains continued to lash various parts of Wayanad, the authorities on Wednesday directed people living in landslide-prone areas of the hill district to move to safer places at the earliest.

People living in landslide prone areas and in places that have experienced landslides in previous years should be cautious, district Collector D R Meghasree said.

In a statement, she mentioned places like Kurumbalakotta, Lakkidi, Manikunnumala, Sugandhagiri, and so on, and urged people there to exercise extra vigil.

The Collector also informed that those who have been asked to move to the camps should shift from their residence at the earliest.

Secretaries of the local self-government bodies and village officers should take the necessary steps in this regard, the official added.

As many as 167 people have died and over 200 injured in the massive landslides that hit the northern Kerala district of Wayanad a day ago, with the numbers expected to increase as rescuers unearth debris, the district administration said on Wednesday. The 167 dead include 22 children, it said.