KOCHI: With rescue activities gaining steam on Saturday, the number of persons in various relief camps in Ernakulam district started going up with new camps being opened.The district collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla appealed to people to reach materials, including food packets, bottled drinking water, clothes and other essential items, to all relief camps. He said that two helicopters were specifically arranged to drop food and water bottles to homes in inundated areas.As many as 54,800 people were rescued from various areas and shifted to relief camps in Ernakulam district on Saturday. Of this, 15 persons were rescued by the Air Force and 237 by Navy and 252 people were rescued via helicopters. Around 10,410 people were rescued via boats. (They were transported from affected places using fishing boats and speed boats). The number of people airlifted on the day stood at 738. Around 153 boats, including those belonging to government and private parties, were involved in rescue and relief operations.Around 10,800 food packets were distributed till evening and two helicopters were exclusively deployed to drop 5,500 food packets in various relief camps. The administration has so far set up 597 relief camps in the district. They together are housing 1,81,607 people from 47,138 families.Paravur MLA V D Satheeshan on Saturday said that one side of the parish house of the St Xavier’s Church at North Kuthiathode in Kunnukara panchayat collapsed on Thursday night. Satheeshan said that locals near the church and Kunnukara panchayat informed him that the church was serving as a flood relief camp. Many people were injured in the incident and it is suspected that some have got trapped inside the debris, the MLA said.Though the MLA said that he has informed officials with district administration regarding the issue, no official confirmation have come in this regard. Satheeshan also alleged that the rescue and relief operations are not effectively carried out in his constituency.

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