Kottappuzha River flash flood death toll rises to six after missing woman's body recovered

The death toll from the recent flash flood in the Kottappuzha River in north Kerala's Nilambur district rose to six on Tuesday after rescue teams recovered the body of a woman who had been missing, officials said.

The deceased was identified as Sajitha, wife of Veluthedathu Sanjay Das, who went missing after the flash flood at TK Colony in Pookkottumpadam, an official said.

Fire and rescue personnel recovered her body from a rocky stretch of the river after the floodwaters receded, officials said.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when a sudden rise in the river's water level swept through the area, leaving several people trapped.

Sajitha, 26, a local resident, was washing clothes on the riverbank when she was carried away by the strong current.

With the recovery of Sajitha's body, officials said all those reported missing had been accounted for and the search operations had concluded.

Five other bodies, all belonging to tourists from the same district, were recovered during search operations on Sunday and Monday.

Chief Minister V D Satheesan visited the affected families on Monday and said the government would soon introduce a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with such sudden natural disasters.

Satheesan also assured the affected families of government support and said financial assistance would be announced after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.  (with inputs from PTI)