The Hindu : Kerala News : Rain claims eight lives in Malappuram

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Wednesday, Jul 18, 2007
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Kerala

Rain claims eight lives in Malappuram

Staff Reporter

Landslips reported from 30 places in the district; 711 families shifted to relief camps

Without warning: A scene from Edavanna in Malappuram after a landslip. Two children were killed in the disaster here.

MALAPPURAM: Floods and landslips caused by torrential rain wreaked havoc throughout the district on Tuesday, claiming eight lives and destroying houses and crops estimated at many lakhs of rupees. Six bodies were recovered and two were reported missing.

Local people said Malappuram never saw such floods and destruction in the last decade. Floodwaters crippled life in many places, cutting off vehicular traffic and marooning hundreds of families.

Thousands of families were in fear as the rain continued in the evening. Dozens of houses on the banks of the Kadalundipuzha and the Chaliyar were submerged and families evacuated to safety on a war-footing.

Landslips were reported from more than 30 places across the district. Two children of a schoolteacher, Abdul Hameed, were buried alive in a landslip at Edavanna in the morning. Jasim Bajli, 14, and Aseem Ihsan, 9, were asleep when mud and rainwater covered a part of their house.

In another landslip on the Arappara hills, about 2 km from Vettilappara, near Areekode, Kallikkad Thomas, 50, was killed and his house destroyed. He too was asleep.

Nine landslips rocked the border panchayat of Urangattiri. Razal, 6, and Rabiya, 4, children of Parathodi Sadik, were killed in a landslip at Mysorepatta.

A three-year-old child, Mohammed Faiz, son of Abdul Hameed, drowned in the floodwaters at Nilambur. Rakesh, 17, son of Nooramkunnu Rajan of Mankada, drowned in a canal while playing in a flooded paddy field.

Puzhasseriveettil Shanmughan, 40, hailing from Purathur, was feared drowned in the Bharatapuzha when his country-boat capsized near Ponnani. A search was on.

The body of an unidentified youth was recovered from the floodwaters at Chana, near Ponnani, on Tuesday. The police said the man must be aged between 27 and 32.

Cholipara Maman, 55, son of Ayyappan of Munniyoor, drowned in a canal near his house. The body was recovered.

The body of Shuhaib, who drowned in the Adyanpara falls near Nilambur two days ago, was recovered.

District Collector Sumana N. Menon said that seven houses were destroyed and 571 partially damaged in the floods. As many as 711 families were shifted to relief camps.

Nine relief camps were opened in Kondotty, Vettilappara and Malappuram villages.

The villages of Vengara, Neduva, Parappur, A.R. Nagar, Chelembra, Parappanangadi and Panchayat were badly affected, said the district officials.

Landslips were reported in 12 places in Nilambur, including Thannikuzhi, Eengapali, Kadamangadu, Karachal, Chaliyar, Vennakkodu and Chokkadu.

Several places in Melattur also witnessed landslips. Rubber estates at several places were destroyed owing to landslips.

However, no casualties were reported. National Highway 293 connecting Palakkad with Kozhikode was cut off at several places as the Kadalundipuzha overflowed like never before.

At Kootilangadi, 2 km from Malappuram town, an electric transformer was submerged in the floodwaters. More than 100 families were evacuated at Ponnani.

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