A day after the Koottickal village was hit by a series of landslides, the authorities on October 17 recovered four dead bodies from the location, taking the total number of deaths to seven.
One of the deceased was identified as Shallat, a 29-year-old native of Koottickal. During a search operation in the morning, the dead body was found among the debris. The deceased was not among the list of persons, who had been reported to have gone missing from the village the other day. The other three persons are yet to be identified.
Searches are now on to trace others, who have gone missing from the village in the landslides.
Taking a serious note of the situation, the authorities have deployed five more teams of the National Disaster Response Force, besides a platoon of the Engineering Task Force. A delegation led by the Revenue Minister K. Rajan , which also comprises the Cooperation minister V.N. Vasavan and Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine are coordinating the rescue and relief operations in Kottayam.
Meanwhile, water levels in the Meenachil and Manimala river are witnessing a gradual decline in the absence of heavy rains on the upper reaches.
Eyewitness accounts suggested that a major part of the Koottickal village was buried under mud and twisted wreckage. The exact number of people trapped under the debris are yet to be ascertained.
