On October 17, a day after the Kootikal village was hit by a series of landslides, authorities recovered four bodies from the site, taking the total number of deaths to seven.
One of the dead has been identified as Shallat, a 29-year-old native of Kuttal. During the search operation in the morning, the body was found among the debris. The deceased was not in the list of persons who were said to have gone missing from the village the second day. The other three people are yet to be identified.
Search is on for other people missing from the village in the landslide.
Taking the situation seriously, officials have deployed five more teams of National Disaster Response Force besides a platoon of Engineering Task Force. Revenue Minister K. A delegation led by Rajan, which also includes Cooperation Minister VN Vasavan and Water Resources Minister Roshi Augustine, is coordinating the rescue and relief operations in Kottayam.
Meanwhile, the water level of Meenachil and Manimala rivers is showing a gradual decline in the absence of heavy rains in the upper reaches.
Eyewitnesses said that a large part of Kuttal village was buried under mud and rotted debris. The exact number of people trapped under the rubble is not yet known.
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