Rescue personnel look for survivors after a massive landslide buried houses in Kattipara village in Thamarassery taluk in Kozhikode. Photo: ManoramaKozhikode: District collector UV Jose on Friday said an investigation into the unscientific construction of a reservoir in landslide-affected Karinchola, near Thamarassry, will be initiated soon after emergency rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
The collector told Onmanorama that rescue operations were top on priority in the area where seven more people are feared trapped under debris and slush following flash floods and landslide.
"The allegations are serious and the construction is found to have aggravated the calamity. At present, our priority is to find out those trapped in the area and shift as many people as possible to rehabilitation camps. Fifty-two camps are operating in the district with nearly 3,000 people in it. A 50-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is camping in the area," the collector said.
Another team from the NDRF had reached Malappuram and was awaiting deployment. A very high number of rescue operators would also hit operations, the collector said.
Leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala, who visited the area on Friday, said the government should announce a relief package. He also condemned the action of officials who gave permission for the 4-lakh-litre reservoir.
Local residents alleged that the construction of the water reservoir by an individual increased the gravity of the landslide and their complaints against the reservoir fell on deaf ears. The death toll rose to seven and seven people are missing after the landslide.
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