Wayanad copes with grief, looks to mitigate disasters

Multiple landslides, following torrential rainfall exceeding 570mm in 48 hours, started in a remote forest in Wayanadon July 30, 2024

One recent rain-soaked morning, P Usman, clutching an umbrella, is making his way slowly past verdant tea plantations towards a large graveyard, fenced neatly with stone slabs. Opening the gate and taking a few steps in, Usman, in his late 50s, is quickly overwhelmed with emotion. His eyes well up. Inside the compound are scores of graves, most identified with names and photographs, and others marked only by small cement blocks. “That’s my cousin sister Muhsina,” he says, pointing to

The inclement weather, the time of the accident and the collapse of a key bridge over the swollen Punnapuzha river contributed to high fatalities. (PTI)