Kavalappara: An ocean of tears
Several people have lost their lives in the landslide that devastated a 10-acre settlement in Bhoodanam Kavalappara, near Nilambur of Malappuram district.
It is suspected that 19 families are still buried in the mud after the landslide wiped out Mutthappan Hill of Bhoodanam Kavalappara.
Four bodies were taken out in the rescue operations that lasted nearly a day and night. Rescue work is going to trace 30 people who are buried under the stone and mud at a depth of 50 feet.
At about 7.30 pm on Thursday, many people rushed out of their houses after hearing a loud noise from the hill. The mishap occurred as they ran for safety cover after informing people living nearby.
The houses on either side of Kavalappara stream were demolished in the landslide that brought heavy stones and mud that covered the area.
Aneesh Kumar, a resident of Bhudanam, who had arrived in Bhoodanam on Thursday night to alert people on the dangers of monsoon fury, is also among those missing. The world came to know about Thursday night's landslide at Bhoodanam, 25km from Nilambur town, only the next morning.
There was no power and telephone connectivity in the locality for three days before the incident.
Though rescue operations started in the morning itself, heavy downpour was disrupting the work. Rescue workers were finding it difficult to reach the site as the lower part of the area is buried under mud. A three-month-old baby was among those saved.
Seventeen families have been shifted to a relief camp in Potthukallu after authorities issued warning.
Putthumala: The mountain of tears
Everything was over in just three minutes. Where the Putthumala stood, the river flowed. The village of Putthumala in Wayanad district has been turned into a 100-acre area of mud lake at a stretch of 5 kms. “Here was a masjid. Here was a temple. This is the place where we used to take tea. At this place children played,” said the villagers pointing at the land that has been covered with mud.
Putthumala village after the landslide on Friday
And no one was seen weeping outside. Great calamities make some people indifferent. They tell the story of the village to everyone who comes to see the tragedy.
Some show pictures of Putthumalai. A beautiful land surrounded by tea plantations. On one side is the forest. Above is the greenery village of Pachakkad. The landslide hit the houses in that area.
This is how the village looked before the landslide
At first it was the unceasing heavy downpour. This was followed by a huge landslide. There are a few trees standing there as a reminder of the great catastrophe. Cars sunk in the mud. A tar-mixing unit head is lying upside down. Large rocks and timber is at place where the houses sit. A cow covered in mud came up alive from there. A dog awaits its master at a vacant land. No one will return to this tragic land anymore. Their village has disappeared from the map.
