Wayanad (Kerala):"Now when I return home, I have neither the house nor any neighbours. It rained so heavily that my family went to our elder daughter's house. In a single night everything has been washed away," Kartyayani, a resident of Mundakkai recounted.
Several houses, including Karthyani's home, were completely damaged due to the landslides. Karthyani, who had left her house on that night said they were shocked to hear the news of the tragedy and tried to contact their neighbours but could not get any response. Now, except the belongings that they carried with them while leaving their house, they have lost everything.
The landslides that hit Kerala's Wayanad district, left around 300 people missing and 308 dead while the survivors are battling with scarring memories. Most of them have not been rendered homeless and without families, but are completely traumatised by the experience they had encountered in the wee hours of July 30.
Another survivor, Sahir, lost 16 relatives including his mother and some family members. Among them, seven bodies were found but nine people are still missing. Sahir said he is waiting for these people to return.
Sahir, who lives in Mundakkai Chural High School Road, said the harrowing moments are still fresh in his memory. "When the land first cracked, my wife and children ran out while I called up to my mother and relatives but my calls went unanswered. In the meantime, another landslide hit and the muddy waters washed away everything," he said.
Sahir said that he had repeatedly tried to contact his relatives but their phones were switched off. "We would not be here today if we had not been alert after the first landslide. It was around 1.30 am and within no time water everything was swept away. We somehow managed to climb a nearby hill in the darkness but 15 metres away there was devastation," he recalled.
According to him, the third landslide was the most massive one as it caused complete damage. "I lost my mother, sister, brother's wife, and their two children. I tried to save whoever I could. I could hear screams of people who were trapped under the rocks but could not do anything for them. I just watched helplessly," he said.
On the other side, the Vellarmala School was washed out in the landslide at Mundakkai and among the 32 children, who studied here, 20 were found dead while 12 are still missing. When the Army had announced that there was nobody left alive for rescue, a pall of gloom had descended in the area.
Now, their classmates, teachers and close friends are praying to God for some miracle to happen so that the missing students are found alive. The teachers have prepared a list of 32 such students.