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Thu, Nov 21, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 19, 1446 | DXB
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UAE expats rush to help Kerala landslide victims; donations worth millions pour in
This is the worst tragedy to have hit the state since the 2018 floods which killed over 400 people
Photo: AFP
After a devastating landslide put a halt to life in India's Kerala state, killing at least 160 people, several UAE residents and businessmen have come forward to pitch in by helping with relief operations.
Dubai resident Shabna Ibrahim, who hails from Wayanad, said her entire family has been assisting in the relief operations. “My brother and his wife are Ayurveda doctors and have been assisting the medical team in rescue operations,” she said. “They have been verifying dead bodies and treating the injured. My parents have also opened the doors of our house to anyone who has been displaced.”
Another Wayanad resident Shajahan Kuttiyath, who lost almost 100 family members in the landslide, said that he along with a group of friends are initiating relief operations. “People there have to start from scratch and will need a lot of help,” he said. “I am part of a group here in the UAE who helped out during the 2018 floods. We are working with associations in Wayanad to see what people need and will help accordingly.”
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On Tuesday, a landslide hit the district of Wayanad in Kerala. Along with an expected rise in death toll, hundreds of people have been displaced and several homes, schools and other buildings have been flattened. It is the worst tragedy to have hit the state since the 2018 floods which killed over 400 people.
According to Shajahan, the only bridge connecting his village Chooralmala to the rest of Wayanad collapsed in the landslide, hampering the relief efforts. Attempts to construct a temporary bridge is under way.
Several UAE-based businessmen have also announced monetary help to the Kerala government. Chairman and managing director of LuLu Group MA Yusuff Ali as well as B. Ravi Pillai, chairman of the RP Group, have each donated approximately Dh2 million to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.
Help in rescue
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Chairman of VPS Healthcare, has reached out to the Chief Minister of the southern Indian state of Kerala to volunteer the expertise of their subsidiary Prometheus Medical International’s mountain rescue team.
In an email seen by Khaleej Times, the entrepreneur wrote, “We are ready to deploy our team to the affected area as soon as possible and are flexible to accommodate your specific needs and requirements.”
According to a spokesperson for the VPS group, they are awaiting instructions from the Kerala government to mobilise their resources. Prometheus has a highly qualified team which includes mountain rescue specialists, emergency medical professionals and nurses.
The Aster DM Healthcare group is also contributing to the relief efforts in multiple ways.
The Dr. Moopens Medical College — formerly known as DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences — is treating the injured in coordination with government hospitals and Public Health Centres.
"Apart from our medical and non-medical staff on ground, our Aster volunteers have also mobilised a team and a mobile medical unit to the disaster-stricken areas to attend to the wounded," said Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare in a statement to Khaleej times. "The team is supplying crucial resources — such as water, food, and other essential provisions — to support the National Disaster Response Force in their phenomenal and tireless efforts."
In addition to the this, the group has donated approximately Dh500,000 to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and Dh1 million towards rebuilding homes for those who are being displaced as a result of the disaster.
Dr. Moopen also confirmed that few Aster employees have also been impacted by the landslide and are missing. "We remain resolute in our efforts to locate and bring all of them home safely," he said. "To those affected employees, Aster has extended full support to them and their families by providing relief materials, first aid and medical services."
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Nasreen Abdulla
Nasreen Abdulla is a Special Correspondent covering food, tech and human interest stories. When not challenged by deadlines, you’ll find her pulling off submissions on the jiu jitsu mats.
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