Narrow escape for priest as car swept away in floodwaters

Catholic priest narrowly escapes car swept away in floodwaters in Idukki, timely rescue by locals saves him.

A catholic priest had a narrow escape as a car he was driving was swept away in floodwaters at Mullaringadu, near Thodupuzha, in Idukki on Friday night.

The area had witnessed heavy rainfall from 5 p.m. and the Mullaringadu- Thalakkod road in Vannappuram panchayat was flooded. The floodwaters swept away the car driven by Jacob Vattappilill, vicar of Mullaringadu Lourde Matha Church, and timely intervention of local people saved him.

“I was going to the church from Kaliyar. As the vehicle reached the road along the Mullaringadu river around 7.30 p.m., the car was caught in the floodwaters. I opened the rear door and got out and some youths came to my rescue. It was a narrow escape as the floodwaters soon inundated the area,” the priest said.

“The vehicle was swept away nearly half-a-kilometre downstream and was damaged. The vehicle was recovered from the river on Saturday,” he said.

“Vannappuram panchayat received 74.8 mm of rain in the past 24 hours. We suspect a mini-cloudburst occurred in Mullaringadu resulting in flash floods,” Idukki Sub-collector Arun S. Nair said.

Revenue officials said people would be relocated from Kokkayar village considering the chances of landslips and mudslides following heavy rain in Peerumade taluk from Friday night.

Officials said ten families would be shifted to the CSI church parish hall at Kokkayar late in the day.