One dead, three migrant labourers missing in Wayanad landslide, 406 in relief camps

Wayanad, Aug 5 (PTI) The Kerala government on Monday said that three migrant labourers are missing and one has lost his life in the recent devastating landslide that hit the Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions of Wayanad on July 30.

The government said 406 'guest workers' -- as they are addressed in Kerala -- were shifted to various relief camps after the landslide.

"Three are missing. One person lost his life while another is in hospital," the state government said in a release.

It said the labourers and their families are from Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Of these, 321 were employed by Harrisons Malayalam Limited, while 28 were working at the Rani Mala Tea Estates.

The labour department has arranged a facilitation centre for them and has ensured that they are provided food and counselling.

At least 25 staff members from the labour department are coordinating to ensure the welfare of the migrant workers in the region.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the landslides that rocked the hamlets of Wayanad last week has reached 222, the state government said on Monday.

Among the 222 people dead, the bodies of 172 have been identified by their relatives, it said.

As many as 2,514 people belonging to 723 families are housed in relief camps. Among them, 943 are men, 972 are women and 599 children, officials said, adding that six of the women are pregnant.

As many as 31 unclaimed bodies and 158 body parts recovered after the July 30 landslide were buried in graves prepared inside a nearby tea estate in the evening today. PTI RRT RRT ANE