A man lost his life and his wife was critically injured after a mudslide buried their house at Lakshamveedu Colony, Kumbanpara, near Adimali in Kerala’s Idukki district late on Saturday night.
The deceased has been identified as Biju of Nedumballikudi, while his wife, Sandhya, was rescued after more than six hours of intensive efforts by local residents, police, and Fire and Rescue personnel.
The couple was trapped under concrete debris when the mudslide struck their home around 10:30 pm. Rescue operations continued for over six hours under challenging conditions. Sandhya was finally rescued around 3 am on Sunday, after being trapped with one leg caught between concrete slabs. She has been shifted to a private hospital in Kochi for advanced medical treatment.
Biju, who was pinned under a large concrete beam and an almirah, was pulled out around 5 am. Though he was rushed to the Adimali Taluk Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
According to police, the mudslide occurred around 10:30 pm on Saturday in Lakshamveedu Colony, Kumbanpara, near Adimali on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway, bringing down large volumes of earth and debris over residential areas. Two houses were completely destroyed, and twelve others were partially damaged.
Following a heavy rain warning, around 25 families from the area had been shifted to a camp at the Adimali Government Higher Secondary School on Saturday morning. Biju and his wife Sandhya were among them. The accident reportedly occurred when the couple returned home to collect important documents.
The disaster’s impact was mitigated because around 25 families were evacuated earlier on Saturday following heavy downpours over the past two days. Local residents noted that the landslide’s effect would have been worse without the evacuation.
Residents allege that the mudslide was caused by unscientific soil excavation for the national highway, which affected about twelve houses. Several landslides have occurred in the area over the past three days, and a large crack has formed where soil was removed for the highway.