Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday conducted an aerial survey of disaster-hit areas in Kerala's Wayanad district, following the devastating landslides that have claimed over 300 lives. The Prime Minister surveyed the affected hamlets of Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Punchirimattam from an Indian Air Force helicopter, observing the origin of the landslide, located at the source of the Iruvazhinji River.

After the aerial survey, PM Modi visited the landslide-affected areas in Wayanad district, personally walking through the disaster-stricken Chooralmala to assess the extent of the destruction caused by the landslides on July 30. This catastrophic event has shattered the lives of thousands of families, with over 200 fatalities reported.

Addressing the media after his visit, PM Modi expressed his deep concern over the disaster. He stated, "I have been taking information about the landslide since the time I got to know about the incident. All the agencies of the Central Government who could have helped in the disaster were mobilised immediately. This disaster is not normal. The dreams of thousands of families have been shattered. I have seen the situation on the spot. I met the victims at relief camps who faced this disaster. I also met the injured patients in the hospital."

PM Modi arrived in Wayanad by helicopter from Kannur airport and later visited one of the relief camps in Meppadi, where many of the displaced survivors are being sheltered. He interacted with several survivors, including two children who lost their loved ones in the landslide. Reports indicate that Modi spent nearly half an hour at the camp, listening to the concerns and needs of the survivors and offering them comfort.

Before his visit to the camp, the Prime Minister landed at SKMJ Higher Secondary School in Kalpetta and then travelled by road to Chooralmala. There, he walked on a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge constructed by the army after the disaster to survey the damage. Modi also interacted with rescue personnel, state chief secretary V Venu, and district officials, inspecting the area strewn with boulders and debris on foot.

Image source: Times Now