Kerala flash flood: Body of 6th victim found in Nilambur river

The body of Sajitha (26), the last of six people swept away by a flash flood in Kerala's Kottappuzha River, was recovered on Tuesday. The incident in Nilambur occurred on Sunday, prompting a massive multi-agency search and rescue operation.

All Six Bodies Recovered After Flash Flood

The body of 26-year-old Sajitha, who was swept away in a flash flood in the Kottappuzha River at Pookkottumpadam in Keralam's Nilambur, was recovered on Tuesday, taking the number of recovered bodies in the incident to six. Sajitha, wife of Sanjay Das of Veluthedath, TK Colony, was found in an area below Assumption School at around 12 noon, following an intensive search operation. With the recovery of her body, the bodies of all six people who were swept away in the flash flood have been recovered.

The flash flood occurred in the Kottappuzha river at TK Colony around 5 pm on Sunday, when six people were swept away. Two bodies were recovered on the first day, while three bodies were recovered on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Anas Yaseen (31), son of Mangadan Hameed of Edarikkode; Muhammad Kutty (65) of Padannaparamban, Tirur; Rafiq (39) of Chettiyaramal Kuruppath, Vandoor; Raheem (34) of Srambikkal, Karuvarakundu; Sajjad (23) of Kuppanath, Vandoor; and Sajitha (26) of TK Colony.

Joint Search Operation and Official Response

The search operation was carried out jointly by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, ERF, police, Forest Department personnel, Trauma Care volunteers and local residents.

Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan and other ministers visited the disaster site on Monday and reviewed the ongoing search and rescue operations. They also visited the homes of the victims and consoled their family members.

Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar, Aryadan Shoukath MLA, District Collector Dr Vinay Goyal and Nilambur Tahsildar Sindhu, among others, camped at the site and supervised the search operations.

State on Alert Amid Heavy Rains

Security arrangements in the area were also strengthened following the incident. Earlier, the flash flood occurred around Sunday evening near the Olarvattam-TK Colony stretch of the river. The sudden rise in water reportedly caught people near the riverbank off guard, with residents and rescue teams involved in evacuating those stranded.

The rain-related incidents have affected multiple districts of Kerala, with landslides and flash floods also reported in Kottayam. The state government has stepped up monitoring of the situation, while authorities have issued weather alerts and advised caution in vulnerable areas. The Chief Minister has directed officials to review the rain situation regularly, with SMS alerts issued in affected districts. (ANI)

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