At least two people have died and a child is missing in Kondotty in Malappuram district, after a huge mound of earth fell on a house in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The bodies of Asees and his wife Muneera were recovered in the search and rescue operation. Search is on to find the couple's 6-year-old child. Their two other children, who were sleeping in an adjacent room, escaped unhurt.

Kondotty police told TNM that the incident happened at around 1 am on Wednesday morning, when the family was asleep in their home. The officials were able to first recover Muneera's body, following which, they found Asees's body. They are yet to find the 6-year-old child. The bodies of Asees and Muneera have been shifted to Medical College hospital for post-mortem.

According to the police, the family lived in a hilly area, but no landslides had been reported from this area before. Post the incident, families from the neighbourhood are being shifted to relief camps.

Red alert has been issued in Malappuram till August 15. The district collector has asked people not to travel to hilly areas between 7 pm and 7 am, in the wake of landslide warning.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall continues across the state. IMD has predicted heavy rains till August 18.

In Ernakulam, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has announced that all flight operations at the airport will be suspended till 2 pm on Wednesday due to heavy rains and due to opening of the dam shutters in the Periyar river.

With the water level at Mullaperiyar dam reaching 140 feet as against its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 142 feet, the shutters of the dam were opened further by a feet around 2.30 am on Wednesday. As a result, the flow of water from the dam has increased from 750 cumecs to 850 cumecs.