The Hindu : Kerala News : 32 bodies recovered in Alappad panchayat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

32 bodies recovered in Alappad panchayat

By G. Mahadevan and N.J. Nair

What remains of a house at Azheekkal. Photo: C. Suresh Kumar

KOLLAM, DEC. 27. As many as 32 bodies were today recovered from Alappad panchayat which was devastated by Sunday's seismic sea waves. With this, the death toll in the district has shot up to 128. The recovered bodies include those of 14 children, 10 women and nine men.

As many as 13 relief camps have been opened by the district administration in the affected areas. Many voluntary organisations also have opened relief centres to help the affected people. Voluntary organisations are taking the lead in providing food, medicines and cloths in the relief camps. Details of the camps, relief operations, the dead and affected persons have been posted on the official website www.kollam.nic.in, according to the district administration.

Chandy's visit

The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, who visited the affected areas with the former Chief Minister A.K. Antony; the Education Minister, E.T. Mohammed Basheer; the Revenue Minister, K.M. Mani; and the Water Resources Minister, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan; told presspersons at the taluk hospital that funds would not be a problem in carrying out relief activities. Mr. Chandy said the Government would take steps to build a bridge across the Azheekkal `pozhi' in a month.

A sum of Rs.80 lakhs will be released immediately for constructing a 65-metre seawall at Jayanthi colony, one of the worst affected areas. Mr. Chandy walked a few kilometres from Srayikad to personally visit the affected areas. The angry locals met the Chief Minister and expressed their ire for failing to initiate timely remedial steps.

Meanwhile, locals fear that the bodies that were washed away will surface within a day or two in the sea. Rumours spread that certain parts of the district witnessed yet another bout of sea searches today.

Mass funeral

A mass funeral will be conducted tomorrow at Srayikad at 2 p.m. as per the rights of all religions to cremate the bodies of those who could not either be created or be buried near their own homes. There were also complaints that the Matsyafed, a body for fishermen welfare, failed to provide relief to the affected families on time.

Panic at Thangassery

Panic gripped the residents of Thangassery and Chavara when waves swept through the beaches around 5 a.m. today. The fishermen who were sleeping in the auction shed near the Thangassery Fort ran to safety on seeing the waters rushing in.

But the waters receded in two minutes without causing any loss to life and property. According to Nicolas, 32, a resident of Thangassery, fishermen in the colony were maintaining vigil on the beach by turn to see whether the phenomenon was recurring. ``The families that are living close to the beach are in constant fear of losing their life. But they continue to live here since they do not have other options. Men in the area took them to the relief camps, but they returned early this morning to collect their belongings. We are planning to take them to the camps again,'' Nicolas said.

Mary Culas, 65, yet another resident of the colony expressed her resolve to stay in the beach unmindful of the consequences. For, the two-room tenement in which she had been living for the past six decades is all that she has. She is not ready to leave the place even in the event of a threat to her life. The huge wall that separates the colony from the sea is in a precarious state. A major portion of the wall collapsed on Sunday morning and the remaining portion too is in danger.

Even after getting news about water gushing to the shore, the fishermen in the colony were seen trying to salvage the wreckages of the boats and fishing nets that were battered by the tidal wave on Sunday morning.

A tense situation prevailed at Paravur in Kollam district as waves surged into the shore. People came out from their houses and were anxiously waiting about the development. The district administration has asked the people living within one kilometre of the coastal area to stay clear off the places as a safety measure.

One person died of heart attack while watching the waves in Pallithottam.

Meanwhile, a unit of the Indian Army reached Azheekkal this evening to assist the rescue operations.

Control room

The control room at the Secretariat can be contacted on the telephone numbers 2327792, 2327582 and 2518453.

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