Five dead in Nilambur flash flood; search continues for missing woman

Five bodies have been recovered from the Kottappuzha river at T.K. Colony near Pookkottumpadam in Nilambur, Malappuram district, after a flash flood swept away visitors on Sunday evening. Search teams are still looking for Sajitha, a resident of T.K. Colony, who remains missing.

Three bodies were pulled from the water on Sunday night, and two more were recovered on Monday morning after personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services and the National Disaster Response Force resumed operations.

The deceased have been identified as Parannaparamban Mohammed Kutty, 65, of Tirur; Mangadan Anas, 27, of Kottakkal; Srambikkal Raheem, 35, of Karuvarakundu; Kuppanath Sajjad, 23, of Kottakunnu, Wandoor; and Kuruppath Rafeek, 41, of Chettiyarammal, Wandoor.

Sajitha was washing clothes in the stream near the tourist spot at T.K. Nagar when she was carried away. Fire and Rescue Services personnel, police and local residents are searching different stretches of the river.

The Kottappuzha appears calm when the water is low, with large granite boulders lying exposed along its bed — a draw for visitors who climb onto the rocks and sit by the water. Sunday was a holiday, and a large number of people had gathered at the spot.

The river, however, is fed by streams from the forest. Rain several kilometres upstream can push a sudden surge of water downstream even when there is little or no rain at the spot, leaving little warning before the dry bed and exposed rocks are submerged by a fast-moving current.

Several visitors were on rocks in the middle of the river when the water rose around 5 p.m. on Sunday. Some were swept away within seconds.

"You will never know when water will start gushing down the stream when it rains in the forest. You will have no clue at all, as it happened on Sunday evening," said Mubarak, a local resident.

Forest Department officials and local residents noticed the rising water and alerted people at the spot, and also joined the rescue effort, helping to prevent further casualties.

Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar, who represents the Wandoor constituency, reached the spot on Sunday night and supervised the rescue operations. Local residents have demanded stricter measures to regulate access to the area, which is known for flash floods.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan is scheduled to visit T.K. Colony at Pookkottumpadam on Monday afternoon to pay his respects to the victims. Public Works Minister P.K. Basheer visited the Government Taluk Hospital at Nilambur, where the bodies have been kept, met the bereaved families and inspected the accident site. Aryadan Shoukath, MLA, is at the site coordinating the search.

The incident has renewed concerns over visitors entering riverbeds and climbing onto rocks during the rainy season.