US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden expressed condolences to India over the devastating landslides in Kerala's Wayanad that took the lives of over 300 people.
The Director General of Border Security Force (BSF), Nitin Agarwal and the Special Director General of BSF, Y.B. Khurania, have been repatriated to their parent cadres of Kerala and Odisha, respectively, upon the orders of the central government, on Friday.
According to the officials, 84 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts while 187 have been discharged.
Days after Home Minister Amit Shah said the Kerala government could have minimized the losses in Wayanad if they had become alert, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) state secretary MV Govindan condemned his statement and said it is politically motivated.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the Kerala government could have minimized the losses in Wayanad if they had become alert after the Central government's warning about potential landslides and the risk of people's lives.
The Indian Navy on Friday continued its rescue and relief operations in the landslide-ravaged areas of Wayanad with an advanced light helicopter of INS Garuda undertaking reconnaissance of the affected areas.
Minister Bindu said that this will be one of the largest volunteering activities undertaken by the National Service Scheme, which has earlier set a new paradigm in the service sector by providing 'love homes' to homeless schoolmates.
The Kerala government has withdrawn its gag order restraining scientists from conducting studies or giving opinions on landslides in Wayanad after facing criticism.