Wayanad landslides: Mud-covered bodies hugging each other found

Rescue operations resume Mundakkai hamlet; rescuers reach many inland areas, which were totally cut off

Wayanad: Harrowing scenes of bodies in sitting and lying positions inside destroyed houses could be seen as rescue operations resumed in the landslide-devastated Mundakkai hamlet in Kerala’s Wayanad district on Wednesday morning.

In one house flattened by massive boulders, the lifeless bodies of four to five people were reportedly seen hugging each other tightly in their death.

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The rescuers could reach many inland areas, which were totally cut off, on Wednesday morning.

According to visuals aired on TV channels, Army personnel were seen breaking the tin roof of a house that was completely submerged in mud and using ropes to reach inside to retrieve the bodies of those trapped there.

A local, who entered one such house, said saw mud-covered bodies in sitting positions on chairs and lying down on cots.

“The deceased persons might be sitting or lying down when the tragedy struck them in the small hours of Tuesday,” he said.

K Babu, a ward member of the local panchayat here, said over 860 people other than children were in Mundakkai during the time of the disaster.

Besides the locals and children, migrant workers and tourists were also in the area.

The panchayat member said the intensity of the disaster is beyond imagination and what they witnessed during the rescue operations was harrowing and disturbing.

:In many places, people were found trapped alive and were pleading for help. Dead bodies, including those of children, were seen as hugging each other tightly. Bodies of women were found under huge tree trunks,” he recounted.

However, authorities have not officially responded to these claims so far.

Various rescue agencies resumed their operations early in the morning to trace people suspected to be trapped in the debris.

Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains struck Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children.

Wayanad, a hill district in northern Kerala, is known for its lush green forests, rolling hills, and sparkling waterfalls. With a population of about 8,17,000 people (as of the 2011 census), it is home to various cultures, including indigenous tribal communities.