MALAPPURAM: In the still of the night, around 3 am on Tuesday, Nilambur’s tranquillity was shattered by urgent messages on WhatsApp groups. News of a devastating landslide in Wayanad quickly spread through the community, carrying a grim warning: the incident’s aftermath would raise the water level in the Chaliyar river, endangering Nilambur’s banks. As dawn broke, the river indeed swelled dramatically, and the full extent of the disaster began to unfold.
By morning, the river turned into a cruel witness to the calamity. Officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Fire and Rescue Services, the Emergency Rescue Force (ERF), police, and residents plunged into a heart-wrenching recovery operation.
They retrieved lifeless bodies and body parts from the Chaliyar river and its banks, a sobering testament to the landslide’s ferocity. Some bodies floated in the river, while others were found buried beneath the sand along the riverbank. Many were recovered amid the debris left by the landslide.
In total, 32 bodies were recovered from Nilambur, including those of 19 men, 11 women, and two boys. Additionally, 25 body parts were found scattered across the Chungathara and Pothukal panchayats. The postmortem procedures began swiftly, with 26 bodies undergoing examination by day’s end.
The postmortem and inquest procedures are expected to continue throughout the night. Medical teams from Manjeri Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) arrived at Nilambur District Hospital to expedite the process, utilising the hospital’s pay wards and arranging over 50 freezers to store the remains.
Nilambur MLA P V Anvar recounted the harrowing events: “The water from Wayanad surged into the Chaliyar at an alarming rate, reaching Nilambur within an hour of the landslide. The bodies and body parts were recovered with the help of residents and rescue workers, and transported to the district hospital.”
The identification of the deceased presents an additional challenge. “Many bodies are so badly deformed that only close relatives will be able to identify them,” Anvar said. He explained that if the number of bodies exceeds the Nilambur District Hospital’s capacity, facilities at Manjeri Government MCH will be utilised.
District authorities said that a state-level decision is required to address the handling of the bodies and body parts recovered from Nilambur.
As the rescue operations progressed, the emotional toll on the workers was palpable. A rescue worker shared the emotional burden of the task, “We began our efforts early in the morning and worked until 6 pm. It was mentally and emotionally taxing to recover the bodies and body parts.”
Despite the perilous conditions, including the risk of rising water levels, the rescue teams managed to prevent further accidents.
Majeed, a member of the ERF, said that his team alone recovered around 12 bodies. Bipin Paul, another ERF member, confirmed that the operation would resume at 7 am on Wednesday.
As evening fell and the rain eased, the situation became somewhat more manageable. However, the condition could turn precarious if heavy rains return to Nilambur, Wayanad, or the Nilgiri region in Tamil Nadu. Currently, 67 individuals are sheltered in relief camps in Nilambur.