MALAPPURAM: Three people at Bhoodhanam near Kavalappara were killed after an entire hill collapsed on the colony, razing down houses. As many as 40 people from 18 families are feared to be under the debris.
Heavy rain continued to lash the district for the second day on Friday, causing multiple landslides and claiming seven lives.
According to the disaster management wing in the district, the three victims at Bhoodhanam are Mathi, her grandson Gokul and a four-year-old girl Pattery Thomas.
Incessant rain disrupted rescue operation in the area on Friday evening and the authorities said it would resume on Saturday morning.
The mishap reportedly happened around 7.30 pm on Thursday, but rescue workers were unable to reach the spot as Chaliyar River had flooded the surrounding areas. Efforts of local people to search for missing people over phone also proved futile. The area was cut off from the rest of the district.
Later in the afternoon, the Fire and Rescue Services units and NDRF teams rushed to the spot and started rescue operations.
MLA P V Anwar visited the spot and said that the situation at Bhoodhanam was grave compared to other parts of the district.
In another major incident, three members of a family were trapped under the debris when a landslide hit Kottakunnu. They are Chathamkulam Sarojini, wife of Sathyan, daughter-in-law Geethu and two-year-old Sarath.