Nearly four hours after devastating landslides hit Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Kerala’s Wayanad, dismembered body parts of those killed in the incident were found several kilometres away on the banks of the Chaliyar River in Pothukallu panchayat in Malappuram district. Chooralmala and Mundakkai, two of the worst affected areas in the multiple landslides, are 93 km away from Pothukallu by road. However, along the river, it is approximately 12 km away.
It was between 5.30 am to 6 am on Tuesday, July 30, the Pothukallu police received a call regarding a body part found on the banks of Chaliyar. By Wednesday, July 31, almost 32 hours after the landslide, 65 bodies, most of them dismembered parts, were found in Pothukallu.
“The villagers were the first to see the body parts and they reported it to the police. Following the alert, police, fire and rescue officials and different rescue workers arrived at the spot and initiated the recovery operation. Currently, around 500 people, including villagers, are conducting the search,” Pothukallu panchayat member Sulaiman Haji told TNM.
On Tuesday, 56 dead bodies were found here, while nine were found on Wednesday. The recovered dead bodies were immediately transported to the Nilambur Government Hospital in ambulances. According to police, procedures including DNA testing to identify the deceased will be conducted at the hospital.
Pothukallu police sub inspector Mohandas said, “We haven’t found any body with all parts intact. Since they were swept away by water for over 12 km, some of the body parts were bloated and left unrecognisable. We are filing the First Information Reports (FIR) for each body now.
Currently, the rescue team is conducting a search spanning 10 km along the river from Pothukallu to Kumbalappara.
In the early hours of Tuesday, July 30, multiple landslides occurred in Wayanad. The areas most affected are Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Meppadi grama panchayat. Latest reports say that the death toll has crossed 177 and approximately 200 individuals are still missing.
According to the witnesses, there were three landslides that occurred at 1.30 am, 2 am and 3 am early in the morning on July 30. Rescue efforts were made difficult by adverse weather conditions and because hundreds were trapped in inaccessible regions.
The collapse of the Chooralmala-Mundakkai bridge had caused many persons to be trapped in the region till late in the evening on July 30. It was a combined operation by the Indian army, NDRF Fire and Rescue officials and other volunteers that rescued around 200 individuals, by using rope as well as airlifting for the injured.
Currently, the Army is building a temporary bridge to the Mundakkai region to facilitate the passage of excavators and other vehicles. These vehicles will be used to remove the concrete slabs and other debris, in order to retrieve the bodies trapped inside the ruins. Until then, the recovered dead bodies will continue to be shifted using ropes. However, the heavy rain in the area is making the rescue operation difficult.
According to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, more than 3,000 individuals were relocated from the affected areas to relief camps.