UAE-Based Indian Business Groups Pledge Millions For Kerala Landslide Relief Efforts

Some prominent Indian business groups based in the UAE have stepped up to help with relief efforts following devastating landslides in the South Indian state of Kerala earlier this week, which have so far claimed around 200 lives.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, many in the UAE have announced millions in financial aid, while others are offering support through healthcare and rescue teams. The two landslides occurred in Wayanad district Tuesday, resulting in multiple fatalities and trapping many in mud and debris. Several homes, schools, and buildings have been destroyed in the landslides.

Several UAE-based businessmen have pledged money to help the Kerala government. MA Yusuff Ali, Chairman and Managing Director of LuLu Group, and B. Ravi Pillai, Chairman of the RP Group, have each donated around Dh2 million to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.

According to reports, some of the victims are relatives and friends of Keralite expats in the UAE. Dubai resident Shabna Ibrahim, who is from Wayanad, shared that her whole family has been involved in the relief work.

"My brother and his wife are Ayurveda doctors and have been assisting the medical team in rescue operations. 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," Ibrahim was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.

Shajahan Kuttiyath, a Wayanad resident who lost nearly 100 family members in the landslide, said he and his friends are starting relief efforts.

"People there have to start from scratch and will need a lot of help. 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," Kuttiyath said.

He further said that the only bridge connecting his village, Chooralmala, to the rest of Wayanad, collapsed in the landslide, making it difficult to carry out relief efforts. Efforts are currently underway to build a temporary bridge.

This is the worst disaster to hit the state since the 2018 floods, which killed over 400 people. The death toll in the latest landslides is expected to increase as rescuers continue to find body parts recovered from flood waters or found buried in the muddy earth, according to authorities.