‘Let him sleep here as all his dear ones too are resting here’: Chooralmala resident laments loss of family to landslides
PUTHUMALA (WAYANAD) : C Muraleedharan stood at the Puthumala mass burial ground with a heavy heart. A resident of Chooralmala School Road, he was in the area searching for his cousin, 27-year-old Haridas, who has been missing since the catastrophic landslides.
Though Muraleedharan and Haridas’ elder brother Arun suspected that a body kept at the Meppadi Community Health Centre might have been his, it was buried along with other unidentified bodies and body parts because other members of their family were unable to arrive to identify the body for sure.
“Let him sleep here as all his dear ones too are resting here,” said Muraleedharan, standing next to the grave marked with the DNA identification number 176 where that particular body was buried.
Muraleedharan’s mother and Haridas’ father too are among those missing. The family believes they were all buried together and are yet to decide whether to exhume the body and perform the religious rites before cremation.
“The two of us agreed on burying him here as we feel our other relatives too are buried here. It feels as if he is sleeping near us. Our house and property are devastated, and we have no proper place to bury him now. Though Seva Bharati volunteers offered to perform the last rites according to our religious practice, we prefer not to exhume the body,” Muraleedharan said, his voice choked with emotion.
Blood samples from Haridas’ relatives were collected for DNA testing. Haridas had been working as a welder. When Muraleedharan and Arun arrived, preparations were under way to bury three more bodies and body parts in the 50 cents acquired by the district administration from the Harrison Malayalam Plantations at Puthumala tea estate for the mass burial. “Three other members of our family, including my mother, are still missing,” said Muraleedharan.
‘Awaiting DNA test results to identify body of mother’
“My wife and two children were not at home as I was out of town for work. Haridas’ house and our house were destroyed. While the body of Haridas’ mother was recovered, his two brothers escaped,” said Muraleedharan, who too is a welder.
The houses were located beyond the road, but the Punnapuzha river changed course and flowed over them after the massive landslide, devastating them beyond recognition.
“The DNA test results will take 10 to 15 days to arrive. I hope my mother too will be found here,” he said.
The relatives will soon arrive at a final decision on exhuming the body, especially as one of Haridas’ brothers wants to give him a proper farewell.
Muraleedharan offered a silent prayer at the grave marked with the DNA identification number 176, denoting the body they suspect to be of Haridas. Meanwhile, the family members suspect the grave with the identification number 56 could possible be of Muraleedharan’s mother. However, this can be finalised only if his DNA sample matches with the DNA collected from the remains.
SEARCH CONTINUES, NO BODIES FOUND ON DAY 8
An Air Force helicopter was pressed into service on Tuesday for aerial search as a 12-member special team embarked on a high-risk operation, combing the trail of the torrent to trace those missing in the July 30 landslides. Despite the efforts, no bodies were spotted in the operation in Sunrise Valley below Soochipara waterfalls. The search will continue on Wednesday
Govt releases list of 152 missing persons
A week after the landslides in Wayanad, the state government on Tuesday published a draft list of 152 missing persons with their address and photographs
Revenue Minister K Rajan urged relatives of those who went missing to provide their blood samples for DNA examination
