The last bus, which witnessed the massive landslide tragedy at Kerala's Chooralmala in Wayanad, returned to Kalpetta on Sunday after being stranded in the area for six days. For years, the last bus from Kalpetta used to operate to Mundakai at night and halt at Chooralmala for the night. But it was stranded across the river for six days following the landslide. As usual, the bus arrived at Mundakai at 9:45 p.m. on July 29. It was usually parked in front of a clinic near the Chooralmala temple, with the driver and conductor sleeping in a room adjacent to the clinic.
The landslide occurred around 1 am on Tuesday. However, since the location was 2.5 km away from Chooralmala, bus conductor CK Muhammad Kunji and driver PV Sajith did not hear the sound caused by the first landslide. The second landslide happened at 4 am waking them up to the sound of rolling rocks and trees. Although they called the Kalpetta station master and informed him of their safety, the sight they encountered when they stepped outside was heartbreaking. The area where the bus was parked was covered in mud. By Sunday afternoon, after the mud and slush were cleared, the bus was finally brought back to Kalpetta after crossing the Bailey Bridge.
