Kochi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Chooralmala area in Kerala's Wayanad district on Saturday, where a devastating landslide claimed the lives of over 400 people and left many others injured. The Prime Minister conducted an aerial survey of the region and visited relief camps, as well as a hospital where survivors were receiving treatment.

After his inspection, PM Modi described the landslide as an "unprecedented disaster" and pledged full support for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected area. "Since learning of this tragedy, I have been closely monitoring the situation. All relevant Central government agencies were mobilized immediately to assist. This disaster is not ordinary; the dreams of thousands of families have been shattered. I have seen the situation firsthand and met with the victims in relief camps and hospitals," PM Modi stated. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor Arif Muhammed Khan, and Union Minister Suresh Gopi accompanied the Prime Minister during his visit, providing updates on the scale of the disaster, which occurred on the morning of July 30.

PM Modi trekked through the Chooralmala region, surveying areas surrounding the Vellarmala Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, which was reduced to rubble by the landslide. He also walked across a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge, constructed by the army after the disaster, and interacted with the Army personnel involved in the relief operations.

During his visit, the Prime Minister spent nearly half an hour at a relief camp in Meppadi, where he met with survivors, including two children who lost their entire families in the tragedy. The survivors shared their harrowing experiences with PM Modi, who offered them comfort during their emotional conversation. The Prime Minister also visited a private hospital in Meppadi, where he interacted with injured survivors undergoing treatment.

Before the ground inspection, PM Modi conducted an aerial survey, covering the landslide's origin and the worst-affected areas, including Punchirimattam, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala. He later held a review meeting at the Wayanad collectorate. The July 30 landslide triggered three massive back-to-back slides in the Meppadi area, burying homes and establishments and resulting in significant loss of life. The state government has requested that the central government classify the landslide as Level 3 under the National Disaster Management Plan, which would enable additional central assistance for the region's rebuilding and the rehabilitation of survivors.

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