NEW DELHI: The Chaliyar River in Kerala, spanning 169 km and flowing through Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts, has turned tragic following landslides in Wayanad.
The river has been a lifeline for generations but now serves as a somber reminder of the disaster, bearing the bodies of those lost.
Formed by the confluence of two major tributaries in the Western Ghats, the Chaliyar River has seen the recovery of most victims’ bodies.
As part of ongoing recovery operations, various agencies, including the Navy, police, Fire and Rescue teams and the NDRF, along with local residents, recovered three more bodies and 13 body parts on Saturday.
Officials reported that these efforts have brought the total number of bodies recovered from the Chaliyar River to 73, with an additional 132 body parts being found, making a total of 205.
“The recovered bodies comprise 37 men, 29 women, 3 boys, and 4 girls,” stated an official in Malappuram district.
The state government mentioned that search operations would persist along the 40-km stretch of the Chaliyar River. Autopsies have been completed for 198 bodies and body parts, according to the officials.
Out of these, 195 have been transported to Wayanad for further procedures, with three being claimed by relatives.
To scale up the rescue operations, hundreds of personnel from various forces, including the NDRF, K-9 Dog Squad, Army, Special Operation Group, Madras Engineering Group, Police, Fire Force, Forest Department, Navy and Coast Guard, have been deployed in Wayanad’s disaster-struck areas.