Tragic! Youth working in Saudi Arabia loses entire family in Wayanad landslide

Wayanad: The entire family, including parents, siblings, and grandmother, were swept away in the landslide, along with their own home and the relative's house where they had taken refuge after anticipating the danger. Jishnu, who was working in Saudi Arabia, has returned home but is still struggling to accept the devastating truth that only his younger brother remains.

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Jishnu Rajan, who works for a private company in Al Hasa, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, left for his hometown on Tuesday (July 30) evening. His family, including his parents, grandmother, and siblings, lived in Poonchirivattom, Mundakkai. The family members who lived in the house were father Rajan, mother Maruthai, elder brother Jinu (27), younger siblings Shiju (25), Jibin (18), Andria (16), Jinu's wife Priyanka (25), and grandmother Nagamma.

After receiving news of the landslide, Jishnu tried calling his family's numbers throughout the night but couldn't reach anyone. Even by Tuesday evening, he hadn't received any information. He only knew that his house was no longer there. The family had moved to a relative's house on the top of the hill on Monday evening, thinking it was safer after the geology department warned the locals. However, the disaster struck, and both houses were destroyed in the landslide.

Jishnu had tried to contact his family members since early Tuesday morning after learning about the landslide. He called them repeatedly, but couldn't reach anyone. When he couldn't get through to them, he called acquaintances and locals from Mundakkai, but still couldn't get any information. Later in the evening, he received news that his father Rajan's body had been found. He also learned that the bodies of his brother Shiju and his mother had been identified among the deceased found in the disaster area.

Unable to find the right words to console Jishnu, who was going through a crisis, Prasad Karunagappally, the manager of the company where Jishnu works, and his colleagues decided to bring Jishnu back home as soon as possible. Jishnu left for Kozhikode on an Indigo flight on Wednesday night.

Jishnu, a 26-year-old, had only been working in Al Hasa for six months after leaving his hometown. When news and warnings of heavy rain and landslides in Wayanad started coming in, Jishnu was extremely anxious at his workplace and residence. He had a similar experience two years ago when he narrowly escaped a landslide that damaged a part of his house. Although the house was partially destroyed, Jishnu and his family members escaped without major injuries.
 

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