Mundakkai

August 5, 2024 2:58 PM

How missed warnings, ‘over-tourism’ aggravated deadly India landslides

With a steeply pitched tiled roof piercing misty green hills in southern India and a stream gushing through rocks nearby, the Stone House Bungalow was one of the most popular resorts in the Wayanad area of Kerala state. It was empty when two landslides early on Tuesday washed away the 30-year-old stone building: staff and tourists had left after rain flooded its kitchen a few days earlier. But neighbouring dwellings in Mundakkai village were occupied and 205 people, almost all locals, were kil...

September 16, 2024 4:48 PM

Rain, debris, leeches: Wayanad landslide survivors recall ‘night of horrors’

Whenever it rains very heavily in the hills of Wayanad, many people stay awake, recalling a 2019 landslide that killed about 20 people. Last Monday too, housewife M Fathima said she and her extended family in Mundakkai village stayed awake as incessant rain poured down during the day and into the night. "When the first landslide hit around 1 a.m., we were all awake," said Fathima, 52. "Everyone in the room was crying. It felt like death was imminent." At least one other landslide followed. Th...

September 16, 2024 4:48 PM

Over 200 dead in Wayanad landslides as Kerala ramps up rescue operations

In the aftermath of two massive landslides that struck Mundakkai and Churalmala in Wayanad district on July 30, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced that rescue operations remain the top priority, with rehabilitation efforts to follow swiftly. After chairing a high-level meeting with political leaders and state officials on Thursday, CM Vijayan praised the ongoing rescue efforts, particularly highlighting the Army's role in constructing a Bailey Bridge to facilitate access to af...