The Hindu : Kerala News : Toll 28 in Alappuzha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Toll 28 in Alappuzha

By Our Staff Reporter

ARATTUPUZHA, DEC. 27. Seven more bodies were recovered from Tharayil Kadavu in Arattupuzha panchayat in the district today where tidal waves wrecked havoc yesterday morning. With this, the death toll has risen to 28 in the district. Eighteen bodies were recovered from the area yesterday and three bodies from Azhikkal and Cherthala.

The District Collector, K. M. Ramanandan, told The Hindu that the bodies were being kept at various mortuaries in the district and would be released on demand.

"The administration is ready to relieve the bodies whenever relatives demanded," he said. He said that of the 28 bodies, four bodies had been already released.

The district administration put the total number of injured persons in Arattupuzha panchayat at 298. The district authorities said that the total number of injured in the whole district was yet to be ascertained. Hundreds of houses had been damaged in the tidal waves. Revenue officials are assessing the damage suffered in the calamity.

The Collector said that 12,000 persons were rehabilitated in 31 relief camps functioning in the district. The Tourism Minister, K.C. Venugopal, who is in charge of the relief operations, said a high level meeting of officials would be held at Kayamkulam to review the relief work. He said that the Agriculture Minister, K.R. Gouri, would also participate in the meeting.

Mr. Venugopal said that the situation in the district was under control. The Government would favourably consider the demand of the people of Arattupuzha for a bridge across the Kayamkulam Lake connecting the southern tip of Arattupuzha panchayat with the main land. At present the panchayat, which is an island, is connected to the main land only at the northern end.

Relief camps

Our Staff Reporter adds from Kochi: About 2,200 people from the Andhakaranazhi area, where three women lost their lives in the tidal waves on Sunday, have been shifted to the two relief camps near Pattanakkad.

The camps have been set up at the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School and the Pattanakkad LP School.

A strong posse of police was present at the Andhakaranazhi area where tidal waves had caused damage to houses. The loss is yet to be estimated even as several fishermen have reported loss of fishing nets and boats.

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