A mother and son from Poonjar in Kottayam died on Saturday after a landslide, triggered by heavy rain, buried their home in the early hours of the day. The deceased were identified as Regina Johnny and her son, Joseph Johnny.
The landslide, which occurred around 3 am, completely engulfed their house and destroyed the only road leading to it. “Immediately after the incident, local residents rushed to the spot. However, they could not reach the house as the road had been completely washed away,” ward member Anilkumar Munjaplakkan told Onmanorama. “We had to wait there helplessly,” he added.
With few options left and little time to respond, residents hired an earthmover to clear the road and recover the bodies. Joseph’s body was recovered around 8.30 am, while Regina’s was found around 11 am. Both bodies have been shifted to Pala General Hospital, where post-mortem examinations will be conducted later in the day.
According to Anilkumar, the mother and son were alone at home when the landslide struck. “The husband had been away that night, accompanying a relative,” he said. The couple also have two daughters, who currently live away from home.
No other injuries or fatalities were reported, as the area is largely isolated and the family was the only one residing there, Anilkumar said.
The landslide occurred as heavy rain continued to lash Kerala on Friday and Saturday, triggering a series of disasters across the state. Landslides were reported from Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, while flooding and waterlogging affected several other regions.
A total of five deaths were reported in rain-related incidents across the state. Earlier in the day, the body of a 69-year-old woman was recovered from Morkad in Idukki after a landslide destroyed her house. The incident also left her husband and son injured.
In a separate incident, another Idukki resident died after being trapped under debris when a massive landslide struck his house at Kolahalamedu in Vagamon. Apart from the landslide-related deaths, a four-year-old child also died in Malappuram after falling into a swollen stream.
