WAYANAD: The landslides in Wayanad have brought devastation and heart-wrenching agony to over 40-45 families from Karnataka, who are now seeking refuge in relief centres. The disaster has not only claimed the lives of hundreds, but has also left many families from Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts in despair as they wait for news of their missing loved ones. Many have arrived at relief centres seeking information, while many others are waiting at the mortuary, in case they need to identify the bodies.
It has been nearly 48 hours since the rescue operation started. But pouring rain is slowing down the rescuers and the hope of finding survivors is fading fast. The relief centres, set up at St Joseph’s School and a building next to Panchayat Hospital in Meppadi, have become centres of grief.
These families, mainly of daily wage workers, came to Wayanad in search of livelihood, working in tea estates and taking up odd jobs. But within hours, they have lost their belongings, life’s earnings and lives of their relatives.
Of the 15 listed missing from Karnataka, three from Mandya and four from Chamarajanagar have been confirmed dead. There is no news on the remaining, who are from Mysuru, making their families anxious. “We have seen heavy rain over the past 20 years, but never a landslide like this. It has destroyed our families and pushed us onto the streets,” said Vinod of Ummathur, settled in a village near Meppadi.
Rajendra and Rathnamma from Nagavalli village in Chamarajanagar only recently celebrated their housewarming in Meppadi. Their bodies are yet to be found. Mahesh from KR Pete has been lucky to survive, but his wife Leelavathi is missing.
It is providence that saved Vinod from Gundlupet and his family. They were woken up around 1 am by their restless livestock. Without realising why, they moved to a safer place, just hours before the landslide struck.
As bodies are being brought in, the process of identifying them is on. But it is chaotic. Chamarajanagar Tahsildar Gayathri and her counterpart from Gundlupet Ramesh Babu are going from room to room where the bodies are kept, trying to identify whether they were from Karnataka. It is difficult as many would have got their Aadhaar made with the local address. The officials are depending on a few families that have survived to identify the deceased. Those at the relief centre said there were around 100 families from Karnataka in the region.
But a number of tribals came here regularly for work, and it is not certain how many were in the area when the disaster struck. Labour Minister Santosh Lad, who has been deputed to oversee the relief and rescue operation, arrived at the site. Lad said he will speak to Chief Minister Siddaramiah if migrant workers want to relocate to Karnataka and restart their lives.