Wayanad landslide: People search for loved ones amid chaos

Bodies were kept in a row on the floor of a tiny, congested hospital building in the district, where wailing people were seen desperately searching to find loved ones.

The disturbing scenes were from a local community health centre, which could otherwise accommodate only a few people, in Meppadi village in Kerala's Wayanad district, which was hit by massive landslides, killing over 57 people.

Some people broke down at the shock of seeing the cold and injured bodies of their loved ones, while others heaved a sigh of relief that their kin were not among the deceased.

A teary-eyed young woman said five members of her family, including two children, went missing after the landslides.

She said she came to the hospital to find out whether they were admitted there after being rescued by someone.

"I don't know where to go or where to search. Our two children are also missing. What will we do?" she said.

A man was seen struggling to hold back tears as his brother was found among the dead.

A local anganwadi worker said she was searching for a four-member family, including a 12-year-old girl who was known to her for a long time.

"Some of their relatives called me in the morning and said the entire family was missing and their house had collapsed and was destroyed completely. Unfortunately, I could not find any of them here so far," she said.

Aboobakar, a physically-challenged person, was also seen moving through the crowded hospital rooms in search of his missing brother and his family.

"Me, my wife, and my son were shifted to my sister's house on Monday as heavy rains continued to lash our place. But my brother and his family, who were living close to our house, continued there, and they are missing now," he said.

He also expressed hope that they would be safe somewhere and that someone might have rescued them.

Besides local residents, a large number of people, including police, health workers, service volunteers, doctors and nurses, could also be seen in the health centre.