While speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Kerala government was warned a week before, on July 23, of the tragic landslides in Wayanad district, which has taken the death toll to nearly 185 with over 200 injured.

Expressing his condolences to the families of the deceased, Shah stated that nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were sent to Kerala in advance, but the state government did not evacuate people on time. He highlighted that India is among four countries capable of providing warnings on natural disasters at least seven days in advance.

He noted that nine NDRF battalions were dispatched to Kerala on July 23, with three more sent on July 30.

Shah emphasised that the losses in Wayanad could have been minimised if the Kerala government had become alert following the arrival of the NDRF teams.

The home minister asked, “What did the Kerala government do? Were the people shifted? And if they were shifted, then how did they die?”

Shah reassured that the Narendra Modi government stands firmly with the Kerala government and its people in dealing with the Wayanad tragedy.