Two more Nilgiri natives die in Wayanad landslide

COIMBATORE: As the death toll in the massive landslide in Wayanad keeps rising, a woman from Coonoor and another from Pandalur in the Nilgiris were among those who lost their lives in the natural calamity.

Kausalya, 36 from Ayyappan Colony in Coonoor was married to Viji Kuttan, 36 from Suralmalai in Wayanad two years ago and they have a one year old girl child Athiya. He was working as an electrician in a private hospital, while Kausalya was a nursing graduate.

The couple and their daughter, who were asleep in their house on that fateful night, were buried under soil in the landslide.

“We were planning for a grand celebration of Athiya’s birthday in ten days in Coonoor, but tragedy has struck before. When Kausalya’s brother Vikram called her over the phone on Monday night, she told him that she would call back as her daughter is sleeping. At 9.45 pm, her mobile phone remained switched off. Only the bodies of Kausalya, her husband and daughter were retrieved and that of her in-laws could not be traced,” said Kausalya’s uncle ‘Currency’ Rajendran in Coonoor.

In another incident, Shihabuddin Faizi, 37, a native of Pandalur in the Nilgiris and serving as a Musliyar (Malayali scholars of Islam) at a mosque in Suralmalai, had died in heavy flooding in Wayanad.

“The room where he was staying had collapsed. His body was found stuck amidst rocks. The rescue personnel retrieved his body and handed it over to the family members,” police said. Their bodies were brought by ambulance to Pandalur and villagers paid their tributes.

Already, two persons identified as Kalyankumar, 52, a priest from Ayyankolli in Pandalur and Kalidas, a construction worker from Puliamparai near Gudalur had died in the unprecedented massive landslide.

Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh to kin of those killed in the landslide.