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Indian army soldiers set up a prefabricated bridge for across the river rescue operations following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad. (Image/PTI)
The massive landslides which struck Wayanad on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 308 people
A story written by a Kerala schoolgirl last year mirrored the devastation caused by landslides that hit the hill town of Wayanad earlier this week. The massive landslides which struck Wayanad on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 308 people, according to Kerala Health Minister Veena George. Additionally, approx 300 people are still missing, according to Kerala ADGP M R Ajith Kumar.
“If it rains, landslides will hit the waterfall, engulfing everything in their path, including human lives,” read an excerpt of the story written by a Class 8 student in Chooramala for her school magazine last year.
A year later, landslides hit her town Chooramala, burying her school – Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Vellarmala. She also lost her father to the devastation, a report by Indian Express said.
The student wrote a story about a girl who drowns in a waterfall but comes back as a bird to warn two friends about an imminent danger. The story mentions two friends – Anaswara and Alamkrita – who go to see a waterfall without telling their parents. They were approached by a girl who asked them to leave immediately. “Leave now, children. It’s dangerous up ahead,” the bird warns the girls. The children flee the area as the rainwater cascades down the hill.
The girl wrote the story ‘Agrahathinte Duranubhavam’ (The Misery of Desire) for her school’s digital magazine ‘Vellaram Kallukal’.
Meanwhile, rescue operations entered the fourth day on Friday, widened and also included a drone-based radar to find the survivors.
The rescue efforts have been hindered by several challenges, including treacherous terrain due to destroyed roads and bridges, and a shortage of heavy equipment, making it difficult for rescue teams to clear mud and huge uprooted trees that fell on houses and other buildings.
