Twenty families were shifted to relief camps and later moved to the safety of rented houses at Vilangad in the Vanimal panchayat of Kozhikode on Tuesday after heavy rain lashed the region that was already battered by multiple landslips less than a month ago.
The families had to leave their homes in the Manassery region in the early hours of Tuesday and take refuge in the parish hall at Manjakkunnu and St. George Higher Secondary School at Vilangad as heavy rain led to several large boulders and trees flowing down the path created by the earlier landslip and restricting the flow of water. Parts of Vilangad town and a bridge were submerged in flash floods around 3 a.m.
However, the authorities denied rumours of another landslip. “It is just the remnants of the earlier landslip that washed down the river now,” Vinodan K.K., secretary of Vanimal panchayat, said.
The rain subsided later in the morning, and the water level in the Mahe river came down too. The families in relief camps were shifted to rented accommodations as their houses were at risk being quite near the earlier landslip site. There had been no more damage either, Mr. Vinodan said.
Multiple landslips at Vilangad on the night of July 30 had resulted in the death of one person, while around 130 families lost their houses. They also caused widespread damage to roads and bridges.