Landslides in Wayanad: What moved the hills in 48 hours rain and how the catastrophe unfolded | Kochi News

KOCHI: Two massive landslides devastated a small town near Meppadi in Wayanad district. The disaster claimed at least 150 lives, injured 170 and left hundreds more stranded and violently shaken out of sleep in the wee hours.

Here is a breakdown of the incident that unfolded in Wayanad since early Tuesday:

Harrowing flow of bodies
Residents along the Chaliyar River in Pothukallu, Nilambur, were confronted with a chilling scene as they discovered multiple dead bodies and severed body parts floating in the water, mixed with household items on Tuesday morning.
Around 7:30 a.m., locals spotted the body of a young boy, about three years old, entangled in bamboo near Mele Kunippala, 20 km downstream from the Mundakkai landslide site in Wayanad. Within just 10 minutes, another body was discovered in the river at Vellilamadu.
Throughout the day, a thorough search conducted by residents, supported by police, fire and rescue teams, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), resulted in the recovery of at least 49 additional bodies, with 25 of them being only parts.
A preventable tragedy
An environmental disaster has struck the picturesque Mundakkai village, which has seen a surge in residences and homestays due to the tourism boom in Wayanad over the past two decades.
The devastating tragedy, which claimed the lives of over a hundred people, could have been avoided had the state acted on the recommendations from a high-level committee of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) four years ago.
The committee had advised the urgent relocation of 4,000 families, particularly those living on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats in Wayanad, due to the area’s vulnerability to landslides.
The disaster struck Mundakkai village, overlooking the scenic Vellarmala hills, where the landslide began following heavy rains on Tuesday.
These hills are part of the ‘Camel Hump’ mountain range, classified as a landslide-prone zone. Mundakkai, along with 17 other villages in Wayanad, is identified as susceptible to landslides in the district disaster management plan prepared by KSDMA.