Steena Das By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “It was raining heavily on the day of the incident. By 7 pm, it gained momentum. It was the eve of my son's engagement and my friends and relatives from Kanjirappally, Alappuzha, Pala and Edathua had come for the engagement. Amid dinner, we heard a raucous noise. Everything happened in the fraction of a second," recalled C D Thomas, the sole survivor from the family that lost the maximum members in the Amboori landslide which claimed 39 lives in 2001. His house was located on a levelled surface near the road. Other houses that were above his house, including the seven-member family of Ashokan, a four-member family of Titus and Preciya's family, fell over his house in the massive landslide and resulted in the tragedy. "Rescue operators were able to retrieve 38 bodies within 13 hours. One was missing," he said. Even after 18 years, residents are terrified when they recall the incident. "I still can't stop myself from thinking about the unfortunate event. I have not slept properly ever since and the incident keeps recurring in my mind during the monsoon. The incident indicated the vulnerability of hilly regions which poses a threat to lives. But we paid no heed and another similar incident occurred at Puthumala in Wayanad district and Kavalappara in Malappuram," said Karindhakarakkal Vakkachan, a native of Poochamukku, near Amboori. The scattered bodies reached the courtyards of the houses opposite Thomas' house. "As the intensity of the rain increased, the power went off. I heard a loud noise while helping my children in their studies. I was unable to see anything. A plantain tree in front of my house fell on my window. I was scared and took my children to a nearby hill. Later, I saw the destroyed house of Thommachan (Thomas)," recalled Matthai Ouseph, one of the neighbours. "I found two scattered bodies in my courtyard when I returned from the hill," he said. "Within a few years of the incident, I shifted my house (from Poochamukku) to a nearby locality," said Gnansselvan. Landslide alert With heavy rain in the region last week, the district administration and Revenue Department informed authorities concerned about vulnerable panchayats in Kattakada including Amboori and Vazhachal to stay alert for landslides. Though rain has decreased, residents are wary after the incidents in Puthumala and Kavalappara. Amboori grama panchayat president Shaji B said: "Information regarding the alert from the Revenue Department and district administration has been passed on to residents. As heavy rain has not occurred in the past two days, we hope no such mishap will occur."

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