Wayanad: Three major landslides hit Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday, trapping several families and killing at least seven people. The Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Vellarmalla, which was earlier operating as a relief camp, was partially submerged in the landslide.

"One of the landslides hit the densely populated region of Mundakkai. Several children and their families live in the area. I've been receiving many voice clips from my students' parents saying they were stranded following the landslide. Airlifting seems to be the only option," a teacher at Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Vellarmalla, told Onmanorama on Tuesday.

"Several families were shifted to the school following a landslide on Monday. It was operating as a relief camp. However, when the rain intensified, many at the camp shifted out. I do not have the exact numbers. A few teachers and I moved to a safer spot 10 km away on Monday night,"  he said. 

“The school usually functions as a relief camp during heavy rain and landslides. When a landslide occurs in the upper area, the families take shelter in the school. The mud and silt falls into the river, and at times some amount of water enters the school premises. This is the first time the landslide debris has fallen on the school. The ground floor, which includes the higher secondary block, was covered in flood water,” he said.

The two bridges to the Mundakkai area, locally known as the Chooralmala Bridge and Mundakkai Bridge, were completely destroyed in the landslide. The panchayat road that leads to Mundakkai was also left in accessible after the landslide.