Kerala flash flood tragedy: Final missing body traced in Nilambur; death toll hits 6

Nilambur (Kerala): The body of 26-year-old Sajitha, who was swept away in a flash flood in the Kottappuzha River at Pookkottumpadam in Kerala's Nilambur, was found on Tuesday, taking the number of dead in the incident to six.

Sajitha, wife of Sanjay Das of Veluthedath at TK Colony, was found in an area below Assumption School at around 12 noon, following an intensive search operation. With the recovery of her body, all six people who were swept away in the flash flood have now been accounted for.

The flash flood occurred in the Kottappuzha River at TK Colony around 5 pm on Sunday, sweeping six people away. Two bodies were recovered on the first day, while three bodies were recovered on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Anas Yaseen (31), son of Mangadan Hameed of Edarikkode, Muhammad Kutty (65) of Padannaparamban, Tirur, Rafiq (39) of Chettiyaramal Kuruppath, Vandoor, Raheem (34) of Srambikkal, Karuvarakundu, Sajjad (23) of Kuppanath, Vandoor and Sajitha (26) of TK Colony.

The search operation was carried out jointly by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, Emergency Response Team (ERF), police, Forest Department personnel, Trauma Care volunteers, and local residents.

Chief Minister V D Satheesan and state ministers visited the disaster site on Monday to review the ongoing search and rescue operations. They also visited the homes of the victims to offer condolences to their family members.

MLAs AP Anil Kumar and Aryadan Shoukath, District Collector Dr Vinay Goyal and Nilambur Tehsildar Sindhu were among those who camped at the site to supervise the search operations. Security arrangements in the area have also been strengthened following the incident.

The flash flood originally struck near the Olarvattam–TK Colony stretch of the river on Sunday evening. The sudden surge in water caught people near the riverbank off guard, prompting immediate evacuation efforts by residents and rescue teams.

Rain-related incidents have affected multiple districts across Kerala, with landslides and flash floods also reported in Kottayam. The state government has stepped up monitoring of the situation, while authorities have issued weather alerts and advised caution in vulnerable areas. The Chief Minister has directed officials to review the rain situation regularly, with SMS alerts being issued in affected districts.
ANI