Wayanad landslide: Families desperately search for their dear ones

Hospitals in Wayanad witnessed heart-rending scenes as the survivors frantically searched for their family members among the dead bodies as well as the injured.

Thiruvananthapuram: It was by around 1.30 am on Tuesday that the family of Thankachan at Chooralmala woke up to a thundering sound.

"In no time water started gushing into our house and all six of us, including my 98-year-old mother-in-law, managed to rush out of the house. In no time our house was almost reduced to rubbles," Thankachan narrated to the priest of the St Sebastian Church at Chooralmala where the family took shelter.

While many such families had a narrow escape, for others like Chooralmala native Vijayan could only remain as mute spectators as their dear and near ones were washed away before their eyes in the disastrous landslide.

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"I tried to hold my mother and sister even as the water entered our house... but my attempts went in vain as the water flow was too severe. I had the misfortune of remaining as mute spectator when my dear ones were being swept away," said Vijayan.

Hospitals in Wayanad witnessed heart-rending scenes of the landslide survivors frantically searching for their family members among the dead bodies as well as the injured.

Fr. Jibin Vatuvalathil, priest of the St Sebastian Church, told DH that it was by around 2 am that people rang up him and rushed to the church for shelter. "It was, indeed, a frightening situation. People were moving around frantically looking for their dear and near ones, that too in the darkness. Many were heaving a sigh of relief as they had a narrow escape," he recollected.

He said that owing to the heavy rains over the last couple of days, many people had shifted from the region either to their relatives' houses or other safe places. Nevertheless, many others, who considered Chooralmala as a safe place stayed back, he said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the people to adhere to the advisories of authorities to shift to safe places. He also said that Mundakai was the epicentre of the calamity.