‘Every July brings fear’; Migrant workers left traumatised after Meppadi landslide
Meppadi (Wayanad): For the people living in Kerala's hill regions, July and August have become months of fear. Years of recurring landslides have turned every spell of heavy rain into a nightmare, with many spending sleepless nights whenever the monsoon intensifies.
Residents said that heavy rain lashed Meenakshi, where Tuesday's landslide occurred, from early morning, even as rainfall remained comparatively lighter in Meppadi and Kalpetta. Areas such as Meenakshi, Kalladi, Thollayiramkandy, Kashmir, Puthumala, Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Attamala are dotted with steep slopes, forest streams and deep valleys. While these picturesque landscapes attract tourists, they also leave local residents anxious every monsoon.
Locals had earlier expressed concern over the massive piles of excavated earth dumped near the tunnel construction site. Tuesday's landslide, they say, has vindicated those fears.
Residents and elected representatives warn that if heaps of excavated soil stacked near the tunnel entrance collapse during heavy rains, even bigger disasters could occur. Environmental activists have also cautioned that unless unauthorised construction activities in Kalladi and Thollayiramkandy are stopped, the region could face even more devastating disasters in the future.
Five workers still missing
The following workers remain missing: Vikram Rana, Rahul, Mohammed Imran, Rakesh and Asaruddin Ansari.
'We only know we survived': Migrant workers struggle to speak
The migrant workers who survived the landslide were too traumatised to describe what happened. Many could only say that they had somehow escaped with their lives.
Several of the injured, who fled the site and reached the hospital, were initially unaware of the full scale of disaster. Lying in hospital beds, they were anxious about the fate of their co-workers. Most of them had been staying in container barracks near the project site and escaped by a narrow margin.
Those admitted to Dr. Moopen's Medical College Hospital in Meppadi include engineer Kunju (39), local resident Koodammal (39), and migrant workers Dileep (19), Rajneesh (27), Tanmay Ghosh (28), Suraj Yadav (25), Hira Kumar (32) and Sanjay Thakur (35).
Among them, Dileep and Rajneesh sustained the most serious injuries. Dileep suffered fractures in both thigh bones and sustained injuries to his foot and hip. Rajneesh also suffered fractures in both thigh bones and an injury to his left arm. The remaining patients sustained minor injuries.
Meppadi Sub-Inspector Santhosh Kumar, who was injured during rescue operations, and local resident Koodammal, who was caught in the landslide, were discharged from the hospital.