'Ask him to stop car': Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka face protest by locals in Wayanad | WATCH

WAYANAD: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi faced villagers protest when he along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was visiting Mundakkai and Punchiri Mattam villages in Kerala. These places were affected by the recent landslides which hit the state and claimed the lives of over 300 people.

A video has surfaced showing Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on way to visit the landslide affected villages in Kerala. However, due to crowd, their vehicle was struggling to move forward as the driver kept honking and asking people there to clear the way. Amid this, a man approached Rahul Gandhi's vehicle and said, “Brother, ask him to stop the car! We are the people who voted for him and made him win... He was the MP of this place... If he is so concerned about not getting out of the car and dirtying his legs in the mud, why has he come here? What is there to see here?”

As seen in the video, both the top Congress leaders did not speak or respond to the villagers when they faced protest.

Death count rise continuously 

The death toll from the landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district continued to rise as rescuers, braving rains and challenging terrain, searched for around 300 people still missing days after the incident.

"The death toll from landslides has risen to 195," Wayanad District Collector Meghashree DR said on Friday.

Fears grew that the death toll would climb higher, as authorities reported that many more body parts had been collected, with genetic testing underway to identify the remains.

Wayanad's landslide horror  

Massive landslides triggered by torrential rain struck the Wayanad district early Tuesday morning, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

"The experimental landslide forecast provided for Wayanad was only for "validation and ground testing purposes and is not for public use", he said.

Between July 26 and July 30, GSI issued bulletins on all days except July 28, when the system for the experimental forecast was down, the official said.

The GSI landslide forecasts were "low" on all days for Wayanad district except for a "moderate" prediction on July 26 for Vythiri Taluk and on July 30 for Vythiri and Mananthavady Taluk, the surveyor said.

With inputs from agencies