Kerala floods: Dhruv held on to his mother even in death

Rescue operators recover the bodies of Geethu and her son Dhruv (inset) at Kottakkunnu on Sunday
MALAPPURAM: For rescuers, it was a gut-wrenching sight when they pulled out the bodies of Geethu (22) and her son son Dhruv (2) at Kottakkunnu on Sunday.
To protect her son, she had embraced him tightly as the landslide came rolling down the slope and engulfed their home on Friday. The team found it hard to separate them.
The tragedy occurred on Friday afternoon after heavy rain in the region. Geethu and Dhruv were inside their home while her husband Sharath was busy diverting the small stream that had formed in their backyard with his mother Sarojini.
All of a sudden, a large portion came down and engulfed the house. On seeing the huge pile moving down, Sharath pulled his mother away and tried to move away from its path. He was knocked away and the rest of his family were buried underneath the debris.
He was later rescued. At present, they are trying to locate the body of her mother-in-law Sarojini (50).

Sharath and Geethu were married three years ago though her relatives opposed the marriage. After Dhruv’s birth, her family was planning a reconciliation.
It is alleged that indiscriminate excavation at Kottakkunnu hill using earth movers resulted in the landslip in the area where many constructions works are being carried out without following rules. Years ago, an expert team had told the district administration to ban the excavation using earthmovers as the spot is an ecologically-fragile area in the heart of the town.
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