KAVALAPPARA: Two days after the massive landslide wiped off an entire village at Kavalappara, the entire area resembled a wasteland. A small stream passing through the village had swelled into a raging river. Around 100 rescue workers, including Army, NDRF, Police, Fire and Rescue Services personnel and volunteers, were digging the slush using two earthmovers searching for bodies under the debris which had filled the valley to a height of 12 feet.
An air of gloom prevailed at Kavalappara with relatives of victims caught under the huge mound of mud waiting with anguish. Hope waned as hours passed and recovery of each body spread a wave of wails.
The massive landslide changed the topography of the area where around 50 houses stood. There are no traces of the buildings as slush and uprooted trees have enveloped it. While the search for bodies continues, at Bhoodanam colony has become a living hell for survivors.
They shockingly realise that they are standing on the soil where their dear ones are buried. Search and rescue operators are seeking the assistance of local residents to retrieve the bodies as only they know the exact locations of the houses. As the small stream had morphed into a river, a temporary bridge was erected over it using trunks of arecanut trees. Crossing the stream, I reached the green patch of land that escaped the landslide. Though the residents of eight houses in the locality had a miraculous escape, the fate of the family of Soothrathil Appootty is unknown.
Appootty, his wife Kamala and daughter Bhavya, had gone to meet Vishnu, a soldier, who was on a 20-day leave to attend his sister’s marriage. Ubaidulla, an imam of Kavalappara Sunni Juma Masjid, narrated how his 18-year-old niece Arshitha rushed to the neighbouring house hearing a loud crash. But, she was caught in the debris. The tale of brothers Sumesh and Sumod was also heart-wrenching. The duo was involved in the search operations for their father Sukumaran Navuriparambil, 60, and mother Radhamani, 55, who went missing.
During the search at the spot where their house once stood, Sumesh recovered his diary in which he wrote down the names of his parents and dear ones who went missing and this scene left onlookers in tears. Sumesh had left the house for shifting his family and his brother’s family after the rain intensified on that fateful day. He could not return as the bridge was flooded. Though he tried his best to reach his house to shift his parents he could not.
Saifudheen, a local resident, complained that they did not receive any warning from the authorities. Had it been issued, the death toll would have been less, he said. “The area witnessed heavy rain on Thursday and following this, a few families were shifted. Otherwise, the death toll would have gone up,” he added.