Heroic Police Officer Recounts Dramatic Rescue During Wayanad Landslides

A week after the devastating landslides in Wayanad, Civil Police Officer Jiblu Rahman recounted his intense rescue efforts to save lives amidst the chaos. The calamity claimed 226 lives and left 138 people missing. Rahman and a forest night patrol team carried out heroic rescues despite the ongoing danger.

A week after the calamitous landslides in Wayanad, a somber air remains heavy at the Meppadi police station. Civil Police Officer Jiblu Rahman vividly recalls the events of that devastating day when he sprang into action, rescuing two tourists from the rubble following the first landslide in the Chooralmala region.

Rahman, still reeling from the shock, rescued two injured tourists from Odisha. 'They told me there were two more people upstream,' Rahman recounted to PTI. Despite the fear of further slides, he handed the survivors over to local youths and moved upstream, only to witness more devastation and feel helpless as another landslide struck.

Arriving before the second landslide, a forest night patrol team, initially responding to reports of elephants straying, had already rescued over 45 people. As rescue efforts continued, the death toll from the landslides in Wayanad's Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas rose to 226, while 138 remained missing.

(With inputs from agencies.)