Thiruvananthapuram: Parts of a human body were recovered in Kerala’s Kavalappara in the Malappuram district on Tuesday as the search continued for missing victims for the state’s flood disaster.
The identity of the person whose remains were found on Tuesday is yet to be ascertained but the find brought the toll till date to 122. At least a dozen more are feared to be missing in the landslide in Kavalappara, and it is estimated that a total of 20 people might be missing in different parts of the state.
Most of the victims were buried under tonnes of earth and rubble as flood waters accompanied by landslides battered entire mountainsides in different parts of the state including Kavalappara and Puthumala near Meppadi in Wayanad district.
The likelihood of finding bodies in good condition is fading fast considering that the bodies have been under mud and rubble for nearly 10 days, and also because they have been dragged down long distances. However, the district administration has not decided to call off the search.
“We are optimistic, and we will continue to look for more bodies. The search has not been stopped. There was good weather today, aiding the search operation”, an official in the Malappuram collector’s office told Gulf News.
The flood fury hurt the northern Malabar region of the state, with the most deaths reported from Malappuram (59 deaths), Kozhikode (17) and Wayanad (12).
The flood damage visited the low-lying Kuttanad area in Alappuzha district last week as waters from the hilly Idukki and Kottayam districts flowed down to Kuttanad, which is known as the state’s rice bowl.
The flood has damaged the standing rice crop in Kuttanad besides affecting the houseboat tourism sector. The famed snake boat races that take place on the second Saturday of August had to be postponed for the second year in a row owing to the flood.
