Harrowing Accounts of Survivors As They Search for Missing Family Members

“I was asleep in my house when, at 1:30 am, a loud explosion woke me. As I opened the window, I saw our house sinking. Nearby, electric poles were toppling. A neighbour, a woman, was crying for help; she and five elderly people were taken to safety. But upon my return, another landslide had struck. Eighteen of us, including my parents, wife, and children were stranded in a room. I clung to a window. I watched helplessly as my mother and siblings were swept away one by one," recalled the Vijayan.

"All the houses beneath my building were washed away in the landslide. There are many people, including the elderly and children, stranded at a resort on the hilltop in Mundakai. Initially, they took shelter in a Madrasa but later moved up to the resort on the hilltop. There are approximately 50 individuals in that area. Please save them," said an elderly man who was rescued from the landslide-hit area.

“Twenty-six members of my family went missing, and only two have been located. My younger brother, his wife, and their three children are also residing in Mundakkai. When we noticed the heavy rains on Monday, we decided to move to a relative's house. Similarly, my brother and other relatives moved to another relative's house in Chooral Maala.

The two houses where they sought refuge were swept away in the landslide,” said a survivor.

“My elder sister's son, his wife, and their three children were in the house at midnight when the incident occurred,” said a lady crying inconsolably.

“My sister, brother, and daughter, along with another sister and her two children, are missing. We departed from Mundakkai on Monday due to the heavy rains. I went to my relative's house with my husband and daughter. But they stayed back,” said another survivor.

Malayalam teacher Unnikrishnan mourned the loss of the Chooralmala Vellarmala School and his beloved locals who have been serving for the past 18 years. Unnikrishnan said that he tried to contact many of the children in the school over the phone but could not do so. The teacher, who lives near the school, survived the landslide tragedy only because he had gone to his native place Alappuzha yesterday morning. He's on his way back to The Cane Mountain with tears in his eyes to meet his loved ones.