Wayanad landslides: Death toll climbs to 222

The death toll in the series of deadly landslides that rocked the hamlets of Kerala's Wayanad last week has touched 222, according to the state government on Monday. Among the total dead, 97 were male, 88 were female, and 37 were children, as per the latest figures released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Among the 222 people dead, the bodies of 172 have been identified by their relatives, it said.

A total of 180 body parts have been recovered so far from various places, and the post-mortem of 161 of them has been completed.

Ninety-one people are under treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts, and 256 people have already been discharged, the CMO added in the statement.

Meanwhile, officials said an 18-member team stranded near a waterfall in the forest in the district is safe.

One of the group members told a news channel over the phone that they had found the body of a man killed in the landslides, and it took them two and a half hours to recover him on Sunday evening, which left them stranded in the area. Official sources said the body was then airlifted by them.

"We are very safe," the group member said, adding that the Thunderbolt team of the Kerala Police is expected to reach them soon.