65 dismembered bodies of Wayanad landslide victims found on river bank 12 km away

Wayanad: The dismembered body parts of individuals killed in the tragedy were discovered several kilometres away on the banks of the Chaliyar River in Pothukallu panchayat in Malappuram district, about four hours after disastrous landslides struck Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Kerala's Wayanad.

Pothukallu is 93 kilometres away by road from Chooralmala and Mundakkai, two of the worst hit areas by the numerous landslides. However, it's about 12 km away down the river.

On Tuesday, July 30, the Pothukallu police received a call about a body part discovered on the banks of Chaliyar between 5.30 and 6 a.m. Nearly 32 hours after the landslide, on Wednesday, July 31, 65 bodies—the majority with missing parts—had been 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.

Here, 56 dead bodies were discovered on Tuesday and 9 on Wednesday, the News Minute reported.

Ambulances carrying the retrieved dead bodies arrived at the Nilambur Government Hospital right away. Police say that the hospital will carry out procedures, such as DNA testing, to identify the deceased.

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, there were several landslides in Wayanad. In Meppadi grama panchayat, Mundakkai and Chooralmala are the most affected places. According to the most recent estimates, there are now over 190 confirmed deaths and about 200 people who are still unaccounted for.

Three landslides that happened early on July 30 around 1.30 am, 2 am, and 3 am were reported by the witnesses. The bad weather and the fact that hundreds were stuck in unreachable areas complicated rescue attempts.

The Chooralmala-Mundakkai bridge collapsed on July 30, trapping a large number of people in the area until late in the evening. About 200 people were saved in a joint effort by the Indian army, NDRF Fire and Rescue authorities, and other volunteers. Airlifting the injured and using ropes were also used in the operation.

To make it easier for excavators and other vehicles to travel through the Mundakkai region, the Army is now constructing a temporary bridge. In order to recover the bodies that are trapped inside the ruins, these vehicles will be utilised to remove concrete slabs and other debris. Ropes will be used to move the recovered dead bodies until then. Nonetheless, the rescue effort is becoming more challenging due to the area's intense rain.

Over 3,000 people were moved to relief camps from the devastated areas, as reported by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.