Thiruvananthapuram: A day after Idukki landslide incident which has killed 22, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today said that rainfall is likely to continue over Kerala. Some of the victims are said to be workers from Tamilnadu.
“Rainfall likely to continue over Kerala state,’ the IMD tweeted giving an update on rainfall data in respect of the State from ”08:30 hrs IST of August 7 to 04:30 hrs IST of August 8 (in mm)”.
It tweeted: “Kerala – Idukki (Peermade)-176 mm, Kannur(Irikkur)-173, Kasargode(Vellarikkundu)-162, Kottayam (Poonjar)-141, Kottayam (Kumarakom)-82, Kozhikode (Kakkayam)-258, Palakkad(Adakkaputhur)-117, Pathanamthitta (Seethathode)-111, Wayanad (Padinjarathara_dam)-158, Kollam (Valiyapadam)-51, Ernakulam (North Paravar)-129, Allappuzha (Kanjikkazhy)-79, Thrissur(Poringalkuthu)-79, Chalakkuddy-81”.
Shanmugan, a Pettimudy resident who escaped the landslide, said when he heard the sound of his son’s bike, he tried to get up to open the door of the room. But he was shocked to see that the cots were swinging and soon he realised that the room too was shaking. Soon water started gushed into his house.
A youth in the neighbouring room broke open the door and rescued him and his wife. Shanmugan escaped, but some of his dear ones were not lucky as they were buried under the earth.
According to rescue workers, four lanes of quarters and a church are buried under mud and more than 75 people were feared trapped.
As many as 20 bodies have been recovered and rescue workers are fighting inclement weather to remove the debris.
As people were sleeping in the quarters, there was little time to escape. Further, with the Periyavara bridge being washed away, it became all the more difficult for rescue workers to reach the spot.