UAE expat loses nearly 100 loved ones as Kerala landslide wipes out his entire village
For Shajahan Kuttiyath, every trip to his hometown in the southern Indian state of Kerala was a celebration of joy and friendship — but now, things have changed forever. The landslide that hit the district of Wayanad on Tuesday wiped out his entire world. More than 100 of his family and friends are either dead or missing.
“My parents, wife and daughters are safe because they live about half a kilometer away from the site of the landslide, but more than 90 of my extended family members have been killed,” he said.
“About 12 of my friends are missing. To be honest, we don’t even know how many members of my family are remaining. People are still going to hospitals to find who is there.”
The 37-year-old, who works as a driver in the UAE, hails from the village of Chooralmala, which was one of the worst-hit areas.
One document he shared had listed the photos and names of at least 50 people. “Everyone is circulating these trying desperately to find their loved ones.”
School flattened
Shajahan said his elder daughter was inconsolable as she lost her best friend in the tragedy.
“She has lost a group of friends in the tragedy, including her best friend,”. “She has been crying every time I call her. My heart breaks for her and all her classmates. They have lost so many classmates and friends.”
He was also worried about the future of his daughters after their school was completely destroyed.
“My elder daughter is in Grade 10, which is a board exam year,” he said. “My younger daughter is in Grade 3. Both of them studied at this school, which is the only one in that area. The next school is 15km away from our house. I have no idea how my children will continue their studies, especially my elder girl, as it is a critical year for her future.”
He said many of his friends have had their homes completely washed away.
While scores died, those who survived had lost everything, Shajahan said.
“Most of the homes were flattened and people lost everything,” he said. “Currently, we are only looking for survivors and trying to get them to safety. But the process of rebuilding will take a very long time. Hundreds of families who have lost everything will have to start their lives from scratch.”
“The only way to reach this area was a bridge that had been washed away in the landslide,” he said. “It is almost impossible to get there. The Kerala government is trying to build a temporary bridge to be able to bring in heavy equipment to move the large debris.”
He said many of his WhatsApp groups have gone silent. “I had a lot of groups with my childhood friends,” he said. “Many of them have died and others are just too shocked to say anything. These are the people I hung out with every time I traveled to India for my vacation. The prospect of going back and seeing all our favorite haunts reduced to mud while many of my closest friends have died fills me with dread.”
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