As rescue operations in landslide-hit areas of Wayanad district continued for the sixth day, authorities intensified efforts to recover bodies and also prepared a mass grave for unidentified remains, amid discussions in the state on donations to the CM’s Distress Relief Fund and whether to classify the natural calamity as a ‘national disaster’. As per State Revenue Minister K Rajan, till date 221 bodies and 166 body parts have been recovered. On Sunday, more personnel and equipment were deployed in areas where the likelihood of finding bodies is high.

Thieves looting abandoned homes