Kochi: The Kavalappara landslide toll could mount with 63 people reported missing while seven bodies have been recovered from the area since Friday.
Over 30 families were trapped in the landslide that occurred within a one-kilometre area at Kavalappara near Nilambur in Malappuram district around 8 p.m. on Friday.
As per the information gathered by the local panchayat, 56 people remained to be accounted for, including 20 children. Four bodies were recovered on Saturday. They are of Kooirmannil Mohammad, 40; Abida,17, daughter of Poonthani Abdul Karim; Fousia, 40, wife of Muth-irakulam Mohammad, and Odukkan,50, of Kavalappara colony.
The recurrence of landslips in Kavalappara and Puthumala in Wayanad district, another worst-hit area, disrupted the rescue operations which were called off for the day.
The death toll in the floods and landslips in the past three days rose to 57 as nine bodies were recovered from Puthumala near Meppadi hit by a landslide. A total of 18 people were missing from the place, according to C.K. Saseendran MLA.
A risky joint operation was conducted by the personnel from the National Disaster Relief Force, local police and Fire Force to bring an eight-month-pregnant woman and a one-and-a-half-year-old infant to safety across the swirl-ing Bhavani river at Attappady in Palakkad district. The operation was carried out by tying a thick rope across the river on two trees as the family was cut-off from the outside world for the past three days. The infant was huddled in the lap of his father throughout the operation.
The woman was also brought to safety.
Unofficial reports claimed that 220 persons were trapped in four tribal settlements in Malappuram district.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that the situation remained grim in Wayanad and Malappuram districts as the state suffered 80 landslips in eight districts in the past two days. According to him, around 200 people are trapped in Munderi near Vaniampuzha in Malappuram district. Attempts were being made to airdrop food and water to them, he added. The shutters of Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad were opened on Saturday afternoon. With this, the total number of dams opened in the state has risen to 10.
Mr Vijayan said that major dams such as Idukki, Pampa, Kakki, Sholayar and Idamlayar have enough storage capacity and that there was no need for panic. The KSEB has suspended power generation at Sholayar to prevent more water
from reaching Chalakudy river.
