New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Congress General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of the victims who died in Wayanad landslides.

Over 40 people were killed in a massive landslide that occurred at Churalpara in Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday at around 2 a.m.

Taking to the microblogging site X, the Congress MP said, “I am devastated by the news of landslides in Wayanad which have killed and injured so many people. My condolences to the families of the victims, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

“We are constantly monitoring the situation and urge all UDF workers to assist the authorities in relief efforts in full measure. LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi ji has spoken to the Kerala CM and the Wayanad DC to address this at the earliest. We also spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ji, who has given us positive assurance about providing necessary relief assistance,” Venugopal added.

The Congress leader further said that they have also requested the Centre and the Kerala Government to ensure search and rescue operations are carried out on a war footing to prevent any further loss of life.

Earlier, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also conveyed his condolences to the families affected by the landslides.

In a post on his X handle, he said, “I am deeply anguished by the massive landslides near Meppadi in Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon.”

–IANS

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Kozhikode, July 30 (IANS) With the death toll in the massive landslides at Churalpara in Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday rising to 44 and hundreds of people stranded, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday sought help from the Indian Army’s Bengaluru-headquartered Madras Engineering Group.

The MEG is known for setting up temporary infrastructure very quickly. The state authorities with the help of NDRF have already started work to set up a temporary bridge in Churalpara.

CM Vijayan has also asked for drones to be employed in the worst affected areas — Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu.

According to the locals, in these areas, the destruction has been massive. Several houses were washed away and many roads collapsed. Hundreds of people waited for help to arrive after a bridge was washed away. Huge boulders rolled down the hills and hindered the path of rescue workers at several places. Vehicles washed away in floodwaters could be seen stuck in mud and tree trunks.

CM Vijayan has also asked for the Kerala Police Dog squad to reach the affected areas.

The police have set up a 24-hour control room and the phone numbers are — 9497900402, 0471 2721566.

The landslides were reported to have occurred at around 2 a.m.

–IANS

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Patna, July 30 (IANS) The CBI has arrested another person allegedly involved in the NEET question paper leak from Mumbai.

The accused, identified as Raunak Raj, was presented before the CBI Special Court in Patna on Monday evening.

Special Judicial Magistrate Kumari Rinku granted his remand to the central agency till August 2.

Raunak Raj was present in Hazaribagh on the day of the NEET examination held on May 5 this year and allegedly solved the leaked question paper.

He is the eighth solver to be arrested by the CBI in connection with this case.

The CBI had previously arrested four third-year students from Patna AIIMS on July 18, as well as two MBBS students from Bharatpur in Rajasthan and one from RIMS Ranchi.

The NEET question paper leak was first uncovered by Patna Police on the day of the examination, May 5.

The case was initially transferred to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which quickly identified several individuals involved, including the mastermind, Sanjeev Mukhiya from Nalanda District in Bihar.

Following a recommendation from the Union Education Ministry, the case was later transferred to the CBI for further investigation.

–IANS

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Kolkata, July 30 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack against the Centre following the derailment of the Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail accident in Jharkhand on Tuesday in which two persons were killed and over 50 injured.

“Another disastrous rail accident! Howrah- Mumbai mail derails in Chakradharpur division in Jharkhand today early morning, multiple deaths and huge number of injuries are the tragic consequences,” the Chief Minister posted on X.

Questioning the governance in the Railways administration, the Chief Minister said that a series of nightmares every week, an unending procession of deaths and injuries on the railway tracks have become a regular feature.

“For how long shall we tolerate this? Will there be no end to the callousness of Government of India?! My heart goes out to the bereaved families, condolences to the next of kin,” the Chief Minister further said in the post.

The Chief Minister had been critical of the alleged negligence on the part of the railway authorities in installing the safety devices on the tracks that could have averted the accidents.

She has been constantly claiming that the safety devices installation process that was initiated during her tenure as the Railways Minister was not followed up at a later stage by successive ministries.

The Chief Minister had been especially critical about the non-implementation of Kavach, the automatic train protection system, in all the tracks that could have averted many accidents.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Police on Tuesday announced 13 helpline numbers at three GRPs in the state following the derailment of the Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail in Jharkhand, in which two persons have died and many were injured. Of the 13 helpline numbers, five are at Howrah and Sealdah GRPs each, while three are at Kharagpur GRP.

–IANS

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Kozhikode, July 30 (IANS) The death toll in the massive landslides at Churalpara in Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday has gone up to 41, district authorities said.

The landslides were reported to have occurred at around 2 a.m. and the area remains cut off. The worst affected areas include Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu.

Authorities said that several parts of the affected areas continue to remain cut off and a sudden increase in the number of dead has been reported from Pothukalu.

The Harrison Malayalam plant is another area that has been cut off and its general manager has told the media that a few of their managers are reported to be missing, while several labourers have been moved to safer places.

A team of the Territorial Army and their medical team from Kozhikode have moved towards Wayanad.

Due to the inclement weather, two helicopters were unable to land in the affected landslide areas and are now waiting at Kozhikode.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the morning held discussions with top Kerala State Disaster Management Authority ( KSDMA) officials in the state capital city.

According to reports around 400 families are trapped in a few areas at Churalmala.

State Health Minister Veena George said all the available health officials in and around the district are being asked to join the operations as there are reports of several getting injured.

“We have started to ensure that all medical supplies are being transported to the affected areas. Medical teams from Kannur and Kozhikode will be reaching out to speed up treatment of the injured people. At the moment 70 injured are being treated at a few hospitals in Wayanad,” said Minister George.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Secretary V. Venu told local media, “Around 2 a.m., landslides took place at least two to three times. At this point, few affected areas are cut off. The weather is also adverse for NDRF teams to go to some of these affected areas. Everyone is on alert. We will carry out the rescue in a coordinated manner. We are still ascertaining about how many people are trapped. All options, including airlifting people, are being looked into to ensure rescue work is carried out.”

–IANS

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