In the wake of the triple landslide that caused massive destruction in Kerala’s Wayanad district, hundreds of family members are waiting desperately to know the whereabouts of their loved ones. Hospitals in Meppadi and other parts of the district are overwhelmed with anxious relatives hoping for any news of those missing since the disaster struck.
A beeline of anxious relatives could be seen at the Meppadi community health centre every time the body of a deceased arrives. Many have already identified the bodies of several family members. For others, the wait continues in a torturous limbo.
While rescue efforts in Chooralmala had begun on the morning of July 30 itself, Mundakkai had remained inaccessible for rescue teams till late afternoon as the only bridge to the area had been washed off by the landslide.
Rafeeq, one of many searching at the Family Health Centre in Meppadi, is looking for his sister and her family. He told TNM that he does not know if they are dead or alive. “They are a family of five, including my nephew and niece, and they live in Mundakkai. All of them were trapped in the landslide and I have not been able to get any updates since. Yesterday some bodies from that locality were shifted here to the Health Centre. I am here hoping to find updates on them,” he said.
Most of the recovered bodies are unidentifiable, covered in mud and dirt from the landslides. They must be cleaned before they can be recognized, for which they are brought to the Health Centre. “My niece’s body has been found, but it is currently in Malappuram district. After being trapped in the landslide, the body was swept away in the Chaliyar river. Efforts are being made to bring it here to Wayanad,” Rafeeq added.
Basheer has been looking for eleven members of his family including his daughter-in-law, his wife's parents, and her family, four of whom have been found. "They were residents of Mundakkai, near the mosque around the town area, and we are still looking for updates on them," he told TNM. Basheer has been waiting at the Health Centre, along with scores of other distressed people looking for their loved ones, to check if they are among the bodies brought in from the landslide sites.
The devastating triple landslides have claimed over 180 lives so far. More than 200 people are missing in the areas of Chooralmala and Mundakkai, part of the Kalpetta Assembly constituency. Rescue operations have been ongoing since the morning of Tuesday, July 30, but access to some areas was initially impossible due to washed-away bridges. Makeshift solutions, like a temporary bridge constructed by the fire force and army, have enabled the evacuation of around 200 people from Mundakkai. Dead bodies from Mundakkai have been transported out using zip lines to cross the river. After the weather turned favourable, IAF helicopters landed in Chooralmala and evacuated the critically injured.
Sudarshan, from Mandya in Karnataka, rushed to Kerala to find five members of his family living in Chooralmala. “We found two of my cousins admitted at the hospital. They had been living in Chooralmala for many years and worked in a coffee estate. Their grandmother and a two year old boy are still missing and there is no update on them,” said Sudarshan. While one of his cousins is stable, Sudarshan said that his other cousin had suffered from a spinal cord injury and would require surgery.
Rescue efforts were resumed in the morning of Wednesday, July 31. The Army and other volunteers’ are retrieving dead bodies trapped inside ruined houses in Mundakkai. The tragedy struck Wayanad between 1.30 am and 6 am on June 30. Triple landslides swept away large parts of buildings and Attamala, Mundakkai, Vellarmala, and Chooralmala in Meppadi grama panchayat.