At least five members of a family are feared killed in a landslip triggered by a sudden heavy downpour in the hill region of Pulloorampara, near Anakkampoyil, in the district on Monday evening.
Official sources confirmed that local people had recovered the body of three-year-old Kuttoos, son of Thundathil Biju, from the debris.
The police and the Fire and Rescue Services personnel were trying to find the missing persons late into the night. Heavy rain hindered the rescue operations.
About 30 houses, including that of Biju, were destroyed at Kodakkattupara near Pulloorampara and two houses collapsed at Manjuvayal near Kodanchery around 2.30 p.m.
Initially it was thought that there were no casualties. But the landslip left a trail of destruction, burying houses and destroying crops in the region.
Officials said that three more people, including a child, were reported missing in landslips at two places. Two of a family were missing from Cherusseryil and another person, from Kodenchery.
The news of the disaster reached the district administration only at 4 p.m.
Officials said that the heavy rainstorm caused four landslips in Pulloorampara. Traffic was disrupted at many places.
Several roads were swept away while large boulders and stones fell on some others. Two small bridges connecting the region to Kuttiyadi and Mananthavadi were submerged. Because of incessant rain, the rescue team could not reach the spots on time and relocate victims. Some families have been shifted to St. Sebastian Church at Anakkampoyil.
Relief camps
Additional District Magistrate K.P. Remadevi and some officials are camping in the area, working out strategies, including shifting families from landslip-prone sites to temporary relief camps.
The district administration has opened control rooms at the District Collectorate and four taluk offices in the district. The phone number of the control room at the Collectorate is 0495-2371002.
