The Hindu : Kerala News : Rain, landslips claim three lives

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 04, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Rain, landslips claim three lives

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR, AUG. 3. Incessant rain accompanied by heavy winds and landslips has claimed three lives and left a trail of destruction in the northern districts of the State, especially Kannur and Kozhikode, since Monday night.

According to reports reaching here, the fury of nature wrought extensive havoc across Kannur district, especially the eastern hill areas, near Kottiyur in Thalassery taluk. Some areas were hit by landslips and some other areas by floodwaters in the morning. Many trees were uprooted by the winds, leaving power supply disrupted in most of the places in the district till this afternoon. The rain subsided in the afternoon.

Manju (11), daughter of Naruvelil John, and Jasna (5), daughter of Narimattathil Philip, were the victims of a landslip that occurred at Shanthigiri in Kelakam, near Kottiyur town, at 11 a.m. Their house was destroyed in the landslip. Annamma (80), wife of P. Mathai, was washed away when she accidentally fell into the floodwaters while crossing a road at Poyyamala. Their bodies have been kept at the Community Health Centre at Peravur.

Children injured

Over 50 persons, including 28 schoolchildren, were injured and property worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed in strong winds in Kozhikode city and its suburbs. Fifteen children of the first standard and their teacher suffered injuries when a coconut tree fell on the North Beypore Lower Primary School today. As many as 13 children of the Chelannur Prabhakara Vilasam Upper Primary School were injured in a similar accident. Incidents of trees uprooting and falling on houses, injuring the inmates, were reported from Kasaba, Nenmanda, Peruvayil, Vavad, Raroth, Vengeri, Nellikode and Thondayad in Kozhikode district.

At least 23 students were injured when a coconut tree fell on a school at Vennavoor, near Kondotty, in Malappuram district. The injured have been hospitalised. Traffic on the Eighth Mile Road connecting Mannarkad and Attappady in Palakkad district was disrupted following landslips. Pudur panchayat in Attappady has been cut off from the rest of the district following the swelling of the Bhavani river. The Siruvani is also in spate.

Ironically, when western Attappady is receiving heavy rain, eastern Attappady is reeling under a severe drought. Two houses in Palakkad town and the Nurani UP School were damaged when trees fell on them. Power supply was disrupted and crops were destroyed in several parts of the district.

Nine injured

According to the latest reports, nine persons, including four children, were injured in the landslips and flooding in Kannur district.

The injured included Jancy, wife of Philip, and their two children, Jippy and Jithin, of Shanthigiri, Achanparambil Thankachan of nearby Palkachi, Mariyam, wife of Mathai of Poyyamala, their grandchildren, Ranju and Anju, and Azeez (52).

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala