Prominent bank employee unions, All India Bank Employee Association (AIBEA) and All Kerala Bank Employees Federation (AKBEF), have contributed Rs 25 lakhs towards the relief measures in tragedy-stricken Wayanad, the unions said in a press statement.
“It has been decided that initially AIBEA and AKBEF will contribute Rs. 25 lacs towards the relief measures and looking to needs, we shall appeal to our units for further help and assistance,” the AIBEA said in a release.
Following incessant heavy rains, the death toll in Wayand rose to 143 with hundreds of others left trapped or injured. Search and rescue operations are currently underway.
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), members of the fire and rescue, civil defence, NDRF, and local emergency response teams are involved in the rescue operations.
Also, around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode are also at Wayanad for rescue operations. Further, two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17 and an ALH, are also coordinating the rescue operations.
“We express our deep sorrow over the unprecedented tragedy that has befallen on the people of Wayanad, Kerala. In a series of landslides following heavy rains, villages, towns and habitats in the region saw unprecedented destruction. Many villages have been cut-off from roads and houses in some areas entirely wiped out,” said the AIBEA statement.