Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (IANS) A man was killed and his wife critically injured after a landslide buried their house in Adimali in Kerala’s Idukki district, triggering a gruelling seven-hour-long rescue operation by emergency teams and local residents.

The deceased has been identified as Biju, who was trapped inside his home along with his wife Sandhya when a portion of the hill behind their house caved in around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday near the national highway.

The mudslide struck with such force that it completely buried the couple’s house, leaving them pinned under concrete debris. Teams from the Fire and Rescue Services and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), assisted by local residents, immediately launched rescue efforts despite heavy rain and unstable terrain.

The couple were found wedged between large concrete beams, portions of collapsed walls, and their bed and cupboard, which made it extremely difficult for rescuers to reach them.

JCB machines were pressed into service to remove layers of mud and debris from the site. After hours of painstaking work, both were eventually pulled out from the rubble.

Biju, however, succumbed to his injuries shortly after being rescued. Sandhya, who was found alive but severely injured, was rushed to Rajagiri Hospital in Kochi, where she remains under treatment.

Rescue personnel said the couple’s position under the beams caused a major delay in reaching them safely. “We had to remove heavy concrete slabs one by one without triggering further collapse. The risk of soil movement was high,” said a fire service official involved in the operation.

Local residents blamed the tragedy on the recent demolition of a nearby hill undertaken as part of a road-widening project. They claimed the excavation weakened the slope and led to the landslide after continuous rainfall in the region. Officials said that the timely evacuation of 22 families from the vicinity shortly before the incident helped prevent a larger disaster.

Several nearby houses were also damaged, with mud and debris filling interiors and walls collapsing completely. Authorities have cordoned off the affected area and initiated a detailed investigation into the cause of the landslide.

–IANS

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