Oorkadavu Residents Rush to Safety After Landslip Kills 2 Children
The two girls aged two and five died after heavy rains led to a landslip in Kozhikode district.
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It took close to 15 minutes of climbing up sloping mud paths and slippery stairs made of stone to reach Oorkadavu, an area in Kozhikode district, that witnessed tragedy early on Thursday morning. 30-year-old Jaleel, a resident of this area, led the way, describing the devastation that unfolded in this landscape, leading to the death of two children.
"It had been raining incessantly from Wednesday night and water was gushing down this slope. Eleven people were sleeping in a house on the slope when the landslip occurred," he explains. "The mud, stones and water that rushed down, completely covered one empty house and damaged another, where these people were staying," he adds.
All that is left of the house that Jaleel talks about now is broken tiles from its roof.
The structure is surrounded by wet mud and water streams. And while nine people in it managed to escape, two children aged two and five died.
The deceased have been identified as Nishana (2) daughter of K Shukkur and Thanha Fathima (5) daughter of Mohammed Shammas.
"We've evacuated most people from the hilly regions to relief camps. We've explained the dangers of staying there to them and while most people understand, some are adamant and want to stay back in their houses," says Kozhikode Collector UV Jose. The district administration had sent jeeps to these areas with speaker systems advising people to move to camps. "We are doing all that we can," he adds.
This message, which came soon after the death of the two children, had begun to leave an impression on residents. All 38 families near the site of the accident have left for relief camps or their relatives' houses.
Manjusha, a mother of two and resident of Oorkadavu, had sent her children to the nearest relief camp soon after she heard news of the deaths in the neighbouring house.
"Those two girls would come to my house to play almost everyday. I've fed them gruel with my own hands. Their grandfather would carry them on his shoulders and bring them. I just couldn't handle the news," she says. "They had moved to that house just last night because the house they were staying in was damaged by the rain. Clearly, none of our houses are safe. Staying here any longer is foolish," she adds.
For the people of Oorkadavu, danger came from two directions. One, were the landslips that threatened to engulf their homes and the second was from a swelling Chaliyar river that was eating away at the roads.
"I wasn't planning to leave initially," says Jaleel. "But if this rain continues, we will be in danger for sure."
(This article has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
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