BSF team deployed in Kerala's Thrissur district to clear submerged areas, remove debris

Thiruvananthapuram: A team of 40 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel has fanned out in Kerala’s Thrissur district for post-disaster rescue and sanitisation operations even as the force has rescued over 500 people from the flood affected areas till now, a senior official Tuesday said. “The BSF has its 162nd battalion based in this centrally-located district of the state and all its staff has been deployed for the relief and rescue operations since the disaster struck,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_4987241” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Image courtesy: Coovercolly Indresh/101Reporters[/caption] “A special team of 40 personnel have been sent to multiple locations in the district so that they can help the local administration in launching operations to clear submerged areas, remove debris and bodies in order to restore normalcy and help the residents in rehabilitation,” the official said. According to the official, the team has been provided necessary equipment and vehicles to even reach the remote corners of the district under the directions of the local administration. “More than 500 people have been rescued from various marooned areas of this district by the force till now,” he said. Over 12,000 litres of drinking water has also been dispatched to the affected areas as the next phase of bringing back and putting together the lives of the displaced is a concern. “About 15 response teams of the border guarding force are also running shelters, food camps and medical assistance facilities or the affected people,” he said. The Kerala government has now turned its attention to cleaning of houses and public places which were damaged in the unprecedented rains that ravaged the state and with the operations to rescue stranded people from flood-affected areas nearing closure. According to the Disaster Management State Control Room, 231 people have lost their lives and 32 are missing in flood-related incidents since 8 August. Nearly 14.50 lakh people from 3.91 lakh families are still in about 3,879 relief camps across the state.