Photo: Mass burial was held in Wayanad on Sunday late evening for the mortal remains of the unidentified people who lost their lives in the landslides ( Courtesy: Arun Hoonigan)
Chooralmala: In the aftermath of the devastating landslides in Wayanad, a mass burial was conducted on Sunday for eight unidentified victims at a site in Puthumala, near Meppadi, marking the sixth day since the calamity struck.
Approximately 30 graves have been prepared at a 64-cent burial ground on Harrisons Malayalam Estate in Puthumala, an area still scarred by the 2019 landslide. The eight bodies were buried following official protocols under the Disaster Management Act.
The search for those still missing in the landslides at Chooralmala and Mundakkai continues, but hopes are fading. With around 200 people still unaccounted for, the state government has started the process of matching DNA samples from unidentified bodies and body parts with those of missing persons’ relatives. Blood samples will be collected from the families for this purpose.
Despite extensive search efforts across the affected regions and along a 40-km stretch of river through the forest, only two bodies and ten body parts were recovered on Sunday. The official death toll stands at 221—97 men, 87 women, and 37 children—but reports suggest the number of deceased may exceed 300. The mass burial ground at Puthumala, where five victims from the 2019 landslide remain missing, was organized by the Meppadi grama panchayat. Many people gathered to pay their respects and offer prayers for the victims.
“The panchayat established the burial site, and the unidentified bodies were interred following prayers from all religions,” said Nasar K B, standing committee chairman of the Meppadi grama panchayat. Search operations continued on Sunday at Chooralmala and Mundakkai, with additional personnel and equipment deployed to areas with a higher likelihood of recovering bodies.
Rescue teams are employing advanced radars, drones, and heavy machinery. Forty teams are conducting searches across six zones—Attamala and Aaranmala; Mundakkai; Punjiirimattom; Vellarimala village; GVHSS Vellarmala; and the riverbank. These teams include personnel from the Army, NDRF, DSG, Coast Guard, Navy, and MEG.
Additionally, a three-pronged search is underway along the 40-km river stretch through Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts, where several bodies and body parts have been recovered near Nilambur in Malappuram. To date, 37 bodies have been returned to their families from the Nilambur Government District Hospital.
