After rain havoc, search on for bodies in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The death toll in the rain havoc in Kothamangalam in Kerala went up to five on Saturday, as a search team found the body of Madakkapally Iype, 58.

The severity of the heavy rains was felt most at Kadavoor in Paingottoor subdistrict in Kothamangalam. Iype’s wife Leela’s, 55, body was recovered on Friday. Iype’s body was found from among the ruins of his house on Saturday.

Police, firefighting personnel and a 15-man Navy team were leading the search for bodies, assisted by a number of local people. According to reports, only one more body remains to be traced, that of Nalini, 47, wife of K. Madhu.

Madhu’s body had been found on Friday. Madu and Iype were neighbours and the search party is concentrating on the area where their houses were located.

Minister V.S. Sivakumar said the government would give an emergency relief amount of Rs10,000 (Dh660) to the family members of the deceased, and that the government would pay for the treatment of those injured.

He said the government would also provide houses to those who had lost them. Reports from Kothamangalam say that seven houses were destroyed in the cloud burst and landslides.

The devastation occured at the same place where a similar incident had happened a few years ago. Kothamangalam has been in the news since Independence Day, when three nurses climbed to the top of Mar Baelios Hospital, threatening to commit suicide, protesting against their working conditions.

Just after their strike was called off after conciliatory talks, the rains descended on the hilly town, causing widespread damage to life and property.

The town had held a protest on Thursday in support of the cause raised by the nurses.