Wayanad landslide survivors recall terrifying escape: ‘Massive mud wave chased us’

Plantation worker couple Palraj M (47) and wife Koodammal (37) were standing near a bridge, waiting to catch a bus in Wayanad’s Kalladi village, on Tuesday when they sensed something off with the hill nearby. “Initially a small portion of the hill started slipping down.

Someone from the other side of the bridge raised an alarm. Holding my wife's hand, I rushed to pass the bridge to the other side. But as soon as we set foot on the bridge, we saw a massive wave of mud chasing us…” recalls Palraj.

Next they knew, a tanker truck, tossed by the raging debris, came rushing in their direction. “We fell into the debris and saw the heavy vehicle flowing towards us. My wife narrowly escaped coming under the back wheels of the truck,’’ he said.

The couple says they are lucky to have survived the tragedy that has left three dead in the village that comes under Wayanad’s Meppadi panchayat. Five others remained missing until Wednesday evening while several are hospitalised.

A video of the couple, captured by the CCTV camera installed in a nearby shop, escaping from the surging mass of debris and mud from the landslide has gone viral. Throughout the episode, Palraj is seen firmly holding Koodammal's hand, before they are briefly separated by the force of the debris.

Moments later, Palraj is seen checking on Koodammal and lifting her up. The couple then rushes away from the site, hand in hand. The couple from Tamil Nadu have been working in a tea estate in Wayanad for the last two decades.

Says Palraj, “We lived in the estate quarters close to the construction site (the twin tunnel project). On Tuesday, it had been raining heavily since morning. The estate was closed. After sending our two kids to school, we headed for a bank in the nearby Meppadi town.

By the time we reached the bus stop near the Meenakshi bridge, the 11 am bus had already left. We were waiting to catch the next bus or a taxi.’’ Moments later, a portion of the hill began giving way. “A tanker truck was seen engaged in cleaning the bridge of mud that flowed from the site (a usual practice).

All of a sudden, the truck got tossed away by the debris,” says Palraj, who believes that only “divine intervention” had saved him and his wife. The incident has also compelled them to consider moving to another location.

“When the work for the tunnel started early this year, we were happy and considered ourselves lucky to be living in a landmark area. Now, it is a nightmare. Our children (a boy and a girl) insist that we should move out to another place,’’ says Palraj, who is now staying at a relief camp.

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express Read More