Everything buried in mud, this Wayanad village turned into a ghost town overnight

The landslides that originated in Mundakkai, a few kilometres away, not only brought mud and debris into Chooralmala, but also caused the river Eruvazhanji to change course and flow right through the middle of the village.

The river swept away everything in its new path, including the workers’ quarters of a plantation. It has also destroyed large parts of the Government Higher Secondary School.

The school principal said around two dozen students were missing.

A damaged car and a house after landslides hit hilly villages in Wayanad district. (AP Photo)

“I have been trying to get in touch with parents to know about the students’ whereabouts,” the principal said.

Rescue workers trying to reach Mundakkai remained stuck for hours in Chooralmala as the bridge connecting to the former had been destroyed in the landslide.

Alikoya, a native of Chooralmala village, said he never expected such a tragedy as it was not a landslide-prone area. Several people from the village were swept away, with many bodies being recovered several kilometres away in the Nilambur region of Malappuram district.

Before Tuesday’s landslides, there was a relief camp set up at the school in Chooralmala for people displaced by a much smaller landslide on a hill in Mundakkai on Sunday. As it continued to rain through Monday, they were moved to safer locations, and survived the disaster that struck early Tuesday.

Dolly, a woman who was among those who survived, lost five relatives who were still in Mundakkai. She said if authorities had relocated more people from Mundakkai, the loss of lives could have been avoided.

“On Monday morning itself, my husband Jose and I went to Sulthan Bathery town. Otherwise, we also would have perished under the debris,” she said.