Kerala Mudslide Tragedy: Man Killed, Wife Injured After NH-85 Widening Work Triggers Landslide
A mudslide near NH-85 widening work in Adimali, Kerala, flattened eight houses. A man died, his wife injured. Residents blame unscientific road work; police investigate.
Idukki (Kerala), Oct 26 (PTI) A 48-year-old man died and his wife was severely injured after a mudslide, near the National Highway widening work, levelled at least eight houses at Mannamkandam in Adimali here, police said on Sunday.
The incident occurred on Saturday night.
The deceased has been identified as Biju of Lakshamveedu Unnathi.
According to police, there were around 22 houses in the housing colony, and due to the risk of a mudslide, residents had been shifted to relief camps on Saturday.
Adimali Block Panchayat member Krishnamoorthi told PTI that mud was being removed from the hilly area as part of the widening of NH-85.
"The residential colony was located on the slope of the hill beneath the highway. As there was a possibility of a mudslide, panchayat officials issued a notice and 22 families were shifted to Adimali on Saturday evening," he said.
However, Biju and his wife Sandhya, returned home later in the night to prepare food.
"When they were inside their house, mud from the hill collapsed and fell over the houses around 10.30 pm. Biju and Sandhya were trapped inside. Around eight houses were flattened in the slide," he said.
Local residents alerted the police and Fire and Rescue Services, who launched a rescue operation.
"The couple was trapped under the debris. After a five-hour-long operation, they were pulled out. However, Biju succumbed to his injuries. Sandhya, who was initially admitted to a hospital in Adimali, was later shifted to a hospital in Aluva," Krishnamoorthi said, and added that Sandhya’s condition is stable now.
Residents alleged that unscientific road widening was responsible for the tragedy.
"The mud is being removed as part of the highway work without any safety precautions. They are clearing the hill slopes without considering the risk of landslides," Sulfi, a resident said.
Anas, whose house was completely destroyed, said residents had noticed major cracks in the hillside and had alerted panchayat officials.
"The officials inspected the spot on Saturday morning and issued a notice asking us to evacuate due to the risk of a landslide. We were shifted to the Adimali government school camp. But the NH work continued," he said.
He added that living in the area was now dangerous as more slides were possible. "We have nowhere else to go. We don’t know how long we’ll have to stay in the camp. The government should take steps to rehabilitate us," he said.
A relative of the deceased person said that Biju’s son died last year, and his daughter is a nursing student in Kottayam.
Adimali police have registered a case of unnatural death in connection with Biju’s demise and initiated an investigation.
The body will be handed over to relatives after the post-mortem, police said.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
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