Man who clung on to boulder to survive in landslide-hit Wayanad hamlet rescued

Wayanad: After an hours-long mission, a man who was covered in mud and desperately clinging to a huge boulder to survive the flood waters gushing past him in landslide-hit Wayanad on Tuesday was rescued.

Visuals of the hapless man’s attempt to survive amidst scattered boulders in the floodwater came from Mundakkai village here, where hundreds of people are reportedly trapped following the deadly landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the early hours of Tuesday.

Helpless local residents could do nothing but watch the man’s struggle and urged authorities to swiftly rescue him.

Having been washed away by flood water, he had somehow got stuck between huge boulders but was unable to stand or swim to safety due to the thick marsh and strong currents.

The visuals of his ordeal, recorded by one of the villagers, were aired on television channels, in which authorities were urged to send rescue teams to the location as soon as possible.

“He is trapped in the area near the local school in Mundakkai. He caught our attention for the first time by 7.30 am. He is still continuing his attempt not to get swept away by the flood waters and trying to stand in the thick marsh,” Raghavan, a block panchayat member who shot the visuals on his mobile phone, said.

Villagers said that although they could see the man’s survival attempts, they could not reach him or rescue him due to the strong currents and the marsh.

The man was later extricated after an hours-long mission by a rescue team and shifted to a hospital, but no details of his identity or state of health are known.

The television visuals showed a group of rescuers who managed to reach the spot where the man was trapped. They used a rope to reach him. The man was seen being pulled out by them and rushed to a hospital.

As the rescue mission continued in various hamlets where people are stranded amid flood waters, they could be seen hugging each other tight so that they are not swept away.

Visuals on TV new channels also showed people, especially elderly men and women, in areas cut off due to the massive landslides being rescued using temporary metal bridges to reach them.