WAYANAD: Massive landslides wreaked havoc in the Wayanad district of Kerala, leaving at least 123 people, including children, dead and several families missing, according to the latest update from government sources.

The landslides occurred during the early hours of Tuesday washing away houses and families. It left a trail of destruction, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted, hampering rescue operations.

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were the areas hit and cut off by the landslides, authorities said. According to reports, the Mundakkai town was completely swept away by the landslide.

Swollen water bodies changed their course and flowed through inhabited areas, resulting in more destruction. Huge boulders rolled down the hills and hindered the path of rescue workers.

According to media reports, at least 17 bodies swept away by the gushing water were recovered, several kilometres away, from the Chaliyar River in Malappuram.

The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy. According to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, as many as 34 bodies have been identified and 18 bodies have been handed over to the families. DNA tests are being done to identify the unidentifiable bodies.

As the bodies kept arriving in local hospitals, DySP, Special Branch, P L Shyju had earlier informed TNIE that 91 deaths have been confirmed so far and the death toll is likely to go up.

Around 128 people have been rescued so far and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

Several injured people trapped in Mundakkai have been rescued, Kerala CM told media persons.

As many as 45 relief camps have opened in the district and 3069 people have been moved to the camps. 118 relief camps have been set up across the state with 5531 people, Vijayan said.

In the wake of the disaster, the state government has announced two days official mourning on July 30 and 31. There will be no official functions and celebrations on these days.

Local television channels aired heart-wrenching phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to travel due to washed-away bridges and flooded roads, PTI reported.

In one such conversation, a woman, apparently a native of Chooralmala town, was heard crying aloud, saying someone in her house was trapped under marsh and debris and they could not pull her out.

“Someone, please come and help us. We have lost our house. We don’t know whether Nausheen (apparently a family member) is alive. She is trapped in the marsh. Her mouth is full of marsh and sand. Our house is in the town itself,” the woman said.