Idukki landslip | Three bodies recovered from Pettimudy; death toll rises to 65

Three more bodies were recovered from near the Pettimudy landslip area on Thursday. With this, the death toll in the landslip, which destroyed four estate lanes in the Nayamakkad division on August 7, rose to 65.

As per official figures, five persons are still missing. The team had extended search operations to a nearby stream and many bodies that had been washed away were recovered. The bodies recovered on Thursday were from the banks of a river at Poothakuzhy, around 14 km from the accident site. One body was identified as that of Kaushika, 15, daughter of Paneerselvam. Two bodies are yet to be identified. More bodies could be trapped in the river at Poothakuzhy inside the forest area. Though the search operation was continued in the area, the group returned after some time as the presence of a leopard was noticed there, said a team member.

Decision on Saturday

Earlier, a review meeting at Munnar decided to continue the search till the last body was recovered. The site of the estate lanes, buried by landslip debris, is being searched using scanners and sensors.

The District Collector is expected to visit Pettimudy on Saturday when a decision on the continuation of the search would be taken.