At first, Dennis felt nothing but numbness. Buried under mud up to his chest, he could barely see or hear anything. When he regained consciousness, the first sound he heard was his father crying out nearby.

“Children, I’m not going to make it…”

It took Dennis a few moments to understand what was happening. He wanted to reach out and pull his father up, but his hands and legs were trapped. All he could do was lie helplessly in the mud and watch as his 80-year-old father, Joseph, was slowly buried beneath it.

The tragedy unfolded on Sunday evening at Chelakattu house in Peringulam of Poonjar Thekkekara grama panchayat. Heavy rain triggered a landslide that destroyed the house and buried Joseph. His sons, Dennis (32) and Jimmy (36) survived.
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Joseph, Jimmy and Dennis were inside the house around 7.15 pm as heavy rain lashed the area.

Then, without warning, a mass of earth, rocks and muddy water came crashing down. In a matter of moments, the house was destroyed and the three were swept under the debris.

Jimmy was thrown nearly 10 feet down from the courtyard, while Dennis and Joseph were buried close to each other.

Mud covered them up to their chests. Unable to move, they were surrounded by falling rocks and chunks of earth. Muddy water filled their eyes and faces.

It was amid the chaos that Joseph cried out, “Children, I’m not going to make it…”

Dennis heard his father but could do nothing to help him. His hands and legs were injured, and mud had entered his wounds, causing severe pain. He tried to shout for help, but initially no sound came out.

With whatever strength he had left, Dennis began digging through the mud around him. He kept shouting from where he lay, hoping someone would hear.

The three remained trapped under the debris for more than one-and-a-half hours.
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When local residents finally reached the spot, Dennis and Jimmy desperately pleaded with them to rescue their father. But by then, Joseph had succumbed to the injuries.

Joseph is survived by his daughter, Jimsy. His wife, Salamma, had predeceased him. His son-in-law is Sunny Nirappel.

Joseph was laid to rest at the Sacred Heart Church in Peringulam on Monday afternoon.