Kerala landslides: 93 people dead, 128 injured, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 30: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that 93 people died and around 128 were injured in the massive landslides in the northern Wayanad district, leaving behind a trail of destruction and despair.
Vijayan said that of the dead, 34 bodies were identified and 18 were handed over to families.
The CM also said that 16 bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar river at Pothukal village in the district. Besides that, body parts were also recovered by those carrying out search and rescue operations, he said.
Vijayan said that the initial landslide occurred around 2 am and the next one hit around 4.30 am, leaving hundreds trapped beneath the debris and many more being swept away.
The landslides occurred when the villagers were sleeping, catching them off-guard and resulting in the high number of casualties, he said.
Many could be trapped inside or swept away, and we will continue rescue efforts, he said.
Vijayan said 45 camps have been set up in the district and around 3,069 people have been rehabilitated there.
The Kerala CM also appealed for contributions to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) to support those affected by the landslide and to help rebuild the impacted area.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
