For Shajahan Kuttiyath, every trip to his hometown in the southern Indian state of Kerala was a celebration of joy and friendship — but now, things have changed forever. The landslide that hit the district of Wayanad on Tuesday wiped out his entire village. More than 100 of his family and friends are either dead or missing.
“My parents, wife and daughters are safe because they live about half a kilometre away from the site of the landslide but more than 90 of my extended family members have been killed,” he told Khaleej Times.
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“About 12 of my friends are missing. To be honest, we don’t even know how many members of my family are remaining. People are still going to hospitals to find who are there.”
The 37-year-old, who works as a driver in the UAE, hails from the village of Chooralmala, which was one of the worst-hit areas.
“Every hour, I am getting photos of people who I thought were safe but turned out to be either missing or were found dead,” he said.
One document he shared had listed the photos and names of at least 50 people. “Everyone is circulating these trying desperately to find their loved ones.”
The landslide, which struck early Tuesday morning while many people slept, has wiped out entire areas in what is considered the worst disaster to have hit Kerala since the tragic 2018 floods that left more than 400 people dead.
Based on what he learnt from his family, Shajahan said several issues could have led to the disaster.
“When I spoke to my family on Monday evening, they said that it had been raining non-stop,” he said.
“On social media groups, many of my friends said that they were going to the neighbouring areas to help people whose homes had been flooded. The excessive rain caused a river to change its course and that is what caused the disaster. After the first landslide, many people rushed to help those who were affected. While the rescue operation was going on, another bigger landslide hit. This is what I was able to understand from my family.”
School flattened
Shajahan said his elder daughter was inconsolable as she lost her best friend in the tragedy.
“She has lost a group of friends in the tragedy, including her best friend,” he said. “She has been crying every time I call her. My heart breaks for her and all her classmates. They have lost so many classmates and friends.”
He was also worried about the future of his daughters after their school was completely destroyed.
“My elder daughter is in Grade 10, which is a board exam year,” he said. “My younger daughter is in Grade 3. Both of them studied at this school, which is the only one in that area. The next school is 15km away from our house. I have no idea how my children will continue their studies, especially my elder girl, as it is a critical year for her future.”
He said many of his friends have had their homes completely washed away. He shared a video of how a friend’s home looks like now:
‘Some are just too shocked to speak’
While scores died, those who survived had lost everything, Shajahan said.
“Most of the homes were flattened and people lost everything,” he said. “Currently, we are only looking for survivors and trying to get them to safety. But the process of rebuilding will take a very long time. Hundreds of families who have lost everything will have to start their lives from scratch.”
In Kerala, rescue operations are in full swing, with the death toll climbing to 158. However, Shajahan said several factors could be hampering the rescue mission.
“The only way to reach this area was a bridge that has been washed away in the landslide,” he said. “It is almost impossible to get there. The Kerala government is trying to build a temporary bridge to be able to bring in heavy equipment to move the large debris.”
He said many of his WhatsApp groups have gone silent. “I had a lot of groups with my childhood friends,” he said. “Many of them have died and others are just too shocked to say anything. These are the people I hung out with every time I travelled to India for my vacation. The prospect of going back and seeing all our favourite haunts reduced to mud while many of my closest friends have died fills me with dread.”