Landslide Hits Kerala’s Idukki After Heavy Rain; Rescue Ops Underway

Kerala: One person died while his wife was seriously injured in a landslide in Kerala's Idukki district. The accident took place on Kombanpara National Highway on Saturday night, when a part of the mountain collapsed after heavy rains and the couple got buried under a sheet of concrete.

The rescue operation went on late night

Immediately after the incident, police, the fire brigade, and local people jointly started relief and rescue operations. At around 3 o'clock in the night, the woman was taken out alive and sent to a nearby hospital, but her husband was declared dead after being pulled from the debris.

MP gave information

Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose said that the relief work is in its final stages and the NDRF team has also left for the spot.

Warning was given in advance

The Idukki administration had advised the people of the area to move to safe places two days ago due to the possibility of heavy rain. The deceased couple were residents of Adimali village. He had earlier gone to a safe place but returned home on Saturday night to collect some important documents, when this accident happened.

Damage to many houses

According to sources, five to six houses have been damaged in the landslide. Officials say that if people had not evacuated the area earlier, the loss of life could have been much higher.

Danger increased due to rain; water level increased in dams

Idukki, Palakkad, Thrissur, and Thiruvananthapuram districts have been receiving continuous rains, due to which the water level in many dams has reached dangerous levels. A red alert has been issued at the Ponmudi and Madupetty dams in Idukki, while an orange alert has been declared at the Sholayar Dam in Thrissur. The water in Walayar, Malampuzha, Molathara, and Chu Liyar dams of Palakkad has also reached the maximum level, due to which the authorities have opened the gates of the dams by a few centimeters as a safety measure.