The body of Roopesh (40) who was missing in the major landslip at Puthukkady near Vattavada on Saturday was recovered on Sunday morning.
It was recovered from near the van which had been caught under the rocks and debris on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, experts said that heavy rainfall in a single region resulted in a sudden landslip in the area.
Idukki district geologist V Sunilkumar said that, “the landslide was a typical debris flow that occurs when soil gets saturated with water and flows downhill. It occurred due to the fragmentation of the slope surface and it resulted in the flow of huge amount of water and rock” said Mr. Sunil Kumar.
“ The same incident happened in the Kudayathoor landslip site which claimed the lives of five members of a family,” said Mr. Sunilkumar.
“ The Puthukkady and Vattavada areas are prone to landslips. The recent landslips in Puthukkady were mud flows,” said Mr. Sunil Kumar.
According to sources, land use patterns in the region also result in landslips.
According to sources, Puthukkady had witnessed a major landslide in August when nearly 450 people from 150 families had a narrow escape though three shops, a temple, and parked vehicles were destroyed. The landslide had destroyed the Munnar-Vattavada Road. Two days later another major landslide occurred in the same area and damaged the staff quarters of Kannan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP) though no casualties were reported.
“ The climate was pleasant in Munnar during the day but the DDMA-issued travel restrictions are still valid in the Munnar-Vattavada stretch. Tourists are advised to avoid night travel on this route,” said Devikulam sub-collector Rahul Krishana Sharma.
Devikulam tahsildar Gopalakrishna Pillai said that after the post-mortem at Adimali taluk hospital the body was handed over to relatives.
