Malayalam superstar Mohanlal visits landslide-hit Wayanad in Army uniform

Mohanlal, who was conferred the Lt Colonel post in the territorial army in 2009, was spotted donning his army uniform as he reached the Army camp at Meppadi

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army, on Saturday reached the landslide-hit Wayanad, where an extensive search and rescue operation continued for the fifth day.

Mohanlal, who was conferred the Lt Colonel post in the Territorial Army in 2009, was spotted donning his Army Uniform, when he reached the camp at Meppadi.

He held discussions with officers and left for the landslide-hit zone along with others in an Army vehicle.

“We are going to the affected areas now,” the 64-year-old actor-producer said.

What is the situation in Wayanad on August 3?

More than 300 people have been confirmed dead in the devastating landslides that hit Kerala’s hilly district on Tuesday. 

As search operations entered the fifth day, the armed forces and the NDRF, state disaster response teams, and volunteers, have ramped up their rescue efforts. Official sources say 341 autopsies were completed and 146 bodies identified so far.

On Thursday, the Army constructed a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge in record time to reconnect Mundakkai and Chooralmala, two of the most affected villages in the landslide.

Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were also affected.

100 bodies recovered from Chaliyar river

One of the key sites of the rescue operation remains the banks of the 40-kilometre stretch of the Chaliyar river, which flows through Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts. More than a hundred bodies have been recovered from this river and its banks so far.
 

Many reasons have been attributed to the cause of such a large-scale disaster in the ecologically sensitive district, including negligence on part of the state government. 

Some experts have partially blamed climate change for triggering unusual weather conditions in the Arabian Sea, which resulted in the unprecedented rainfall in Kerala, which in turn have triggered landslides.