'Told them to come to our house, heard Sandhya chechi crying'; neighbour shares shocking details of Adimali landslide

IDUKKI: Anju, a relative and neighbour of Biju, who died in the landslides in Adimali, blamed the soil excavation for the national highway for causing the landslides in Koompanpara last night. She also admitted receiving information from authorities asking them to immediately shift to a camp following the landslide threat.

Anju:

"Biju and Sandhya were staying at our house. They had gone out for dinner. The rains intensified by this time, and so I called them by phone, asking them to immediately come to our house. Sandhya said they would come after having food. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise, followed by a shriek from Sandhya. I gave out a loud cry after seeing mud in place of their house.

The National Highways employees were nearby. They told us to run away to safety. With Sandhya chechi crying, I didn't feel like running away. I called 112. By then, the road had collapsed. It took a while for the JCB to arrive. We heard Sandhya chechi’s voice but not any response from Biju chettan.”

Biju, one of the couple trapped inside their house following a landslide in Adimali, died. After hours of rescue efforts, Sandhya was brought out, but Biju could not be saved. Sandhya was rescued at around 3:30 and taken to Rajagiri Hospital. Sandhya was seriously injured in the accident.