Wayanad: The situation turned emotional at the Wayanad polling stations when the landslide survivors reunited with their neighbours and close friends on Wednesday, for the first time since the disaster.
The survivors hugged each other with joy and broke into tears as they recalled their time together as one big happy family before the landslides swept away everything on July 30.
An elderly man tearfully narrated how the residents of Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai villages, which were completely destroyed in the landslides, celebrated every festival together, regardless of their religions.
His friend, whom he met on the bus arranged to ferry voters affected by the landslide to polling stations, hugged and consoled him, saying, "Don't cry; everything will turn out fine."
Another woman said the survivors were relocated or rehabilitated to different parts of the district. "So, when we see them after such a long gap, the first thing we ask is where you are living and not how are you doing," she told the media.
Free vehicle services were provided so that landslide victims could reach the polling stations from their temporary residences.
Over 200 people were killed in the disastrous landslides that swept away three villages and destroyed hundreds of homes.