More than 180 people are still missing in the landslide-hit villages of Punchiri Mattam, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala in Kerala’s Wayanad. While hundreds of anxious relatives gather outside hospitals and mortuaries clinging to hope as they wait for news of their loved ones, a few others are on site in Mundakkai and Chooralmala, where the impact was severe, desperately hoping to recover the mortal remains of their family members.
These searchers have stayed in Mundakkai since July 30, the day the devastating landslides struck, believing their relatives may still be trapped beneath the rubble and have not been swept away. The force of the landslides flattened houses, erasing any trace of their existence. Convinced that their loved ones are buried beneath the debris, the survivors continue their arduous search.
The tragedy severed the bridge that connected Mundakkai to other villages and blocked roads, forcing residents to trek through the forest, frantically searching for any signs of life. “You saw that rock? My house was there,” Sunil said, pointing to a huge boulder. “My mother, elder brother, and my sister’s daughter were there in that house,” he added, his voice breaking as he listed the names of the many family members and friends he has lost.
“The day of the landslides, I was away. I couldn’t reach here as the bridge was broken and I was not able to cross the river from Chooralmala. Then I went back, found another way where the river was a bit shallow and somehow reached here by noon,” he said.
“I trekked through forests and somehow reached where my home once stood. But there was just a piece of marble there. I sat and cried. Nobody was here; I was all alone in a deserted land. Rescue efforts hadn’t started yet as they couldn’t cross the river. I didn’t know what to do then,” Sunil said.
Sunil recalled how he walked around calling out for his mother and brother. “Then I saw a dead body near a tree. Some people who were with me took that body away. That evening, rescuers arrived and started the search,” he said.
Sunil has not left Mundakkai since then. He stayed near his house for five days. He joined the rescuers as they dug through the debris and searched for his family. When the search was enhanced using excavators after the bridge was constructed, Sunil waited hopefully, never taking his eyes off the excavations.
The TNM team found Sahadevan at the same spot in Mundakkai, warning everyone to walk carefully. “Please be careful about your steps; there was a small stream here below,” he said. When asked how he knew, he said, “The stream was right in front of my house. My ancestral house was here. My mother, brother, his wife, and their two children were inside. All of them are gone. Some of us had shifted to a different place due to the heavy rains that day.”
Sahadevan had also trekked through the forest to the site, searching for his relatives. “We found the bodies of my mother and one of my nephews, but three more of my family are still missing. They need to be found as soon as possible,” he said, returning eagerly to the excavation area.
Mohanan, another survivor, also strongly believes that his family is still trapped in the muddy sludge in Mundakkai. “On July 30, around 11 am, I trekked here through another route. They should be here; they couldn’t have gone anywhere,” he said.
Although many bodies have been recovered in Nilambur, about 70 km away from Mundakkai, those searching in the village firmly believe their loved ones are still buried beneath the soil there.