CHANDIGARH: Three days after a devastating landslide struck the tunnel construction site in Kerala's Wayanad, rescue teams recovered the body of engineer Rahul Sharma on Thursday.
Rahul Sharma, a native of Rewalsar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, was trapped under tonnes of mud and boulders after the July 7 landslide at the Anakkompoyil-Meppadi tunnel project, which connects Wayanad and Kozhikode districts. After the recovery of three more bodies, including Rahul's, the death toll from the landslide rose to six.
His body is expected to be taken to his native village by Friday for the last rites.
Rahul had married Kalpana earlier this year, and the family had recently celebrated the beginning of their new life together. His death has left the family devastated.
Rahul's family had been camping near the accident site since the incident. His wife spent nearly 48 hours hoping he would be rescued as teams battled heavy rain, unstable terrain and massive debris. However, the operation eventually turned into a recovery mission.
His father, Roop Dev Sharma, and maternal uncle, Ramveer Sharma, reached Wayanad after the incident, while his wife remained at the site throughout the rescue operation.
Ramveer Sharma confirmed that the body had been recovered and a postmortem had been conducted. He said Rahul's wife, father and other family members are expected to return to Himachal Pradesh with the body on Friday, after which the last rites will be performed.
Rahul's younger brother is also returning from Dubai to support the family, while his mother remains inconsolable over the tragedy.