MEPPADI: The morning rain had already cast a sombre mood over the hills near Meenakshi Bridge construction zone, but nothing could have prepared the local community for the sudden fury of the hillside giving way. Within moments, a 200m stretch of land transformed into a cascade of mud, moving concrete walls and heaps of soil, burying a nearby makeshift labour camp and eatery.
Sharing a harrowing eyewitness account, Dileep Mishra, a worker from UP employed by Dilip Buildcon, said the casualty count could have been far worse had it not been for recent weather warnings. “Usually, more than 100 workers are deployed at the site. However, many had already left due to the alerts,” Mishra said.
At the time of the incident, around 25 workers from various states, including UP and Bihar, were present at the camp. “We heard a large sound. I was near the Meenakshi Bridge bus stop. I ran away, else, I too would have been trapped in the mud.”
For the family of Ashraf P A, the mudslide was a terrifying reality that unfolded in their backyard. Ashraf, with his wife and children, had recently left the village to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimage. However, Ashraf’s daughter, her husband and their young child were staying at the house.
According to Ashraf’s neighbour Ghafoor, it was only split-second instincts that spared them. “When the soil started sliding down, they managed to run and escape,” Ghafoor recalled.
Abdurahman K T, owner of a small eatery (thattukada) operating right next to the site, experienced a similar stroke of providential timing. Usually open by 10am, he had stepped away just minutes before the disaster to return home for an errand. When the mud rushed over the structure, he was safely out of harm’s way.
While the landslip came dangerously close to a forest area where tourists visiting the ‘900 Kandi’ viewpoint park their cars, the vacationers escaped unharmed.
Amid the devastation, an extraordinary story of survival has emerged. Palraj and his wife Kudamal escaped a wall of rushing mud and debris. The couple had travelled to Meppadi to visit a bank and run errands when the hillside above them gave way. Realising the danger, Palraj gripped his wife’s hand and the two began sprinting. The thick, rapid accumulation of mud slowed Kudamal down. Seeing her struggle, Palraj threw away his umbrella to maximise their speed, repeatedly turning back to drag her forward. He recalled that his only thought was that if they were to escape or perish, they would do it together.