Malappuram: The lifeless bodies of a mother and her infant child were recovered in a position where they were holding their hands tight has left many rescue personnel teary-eyed in Kerala’s Kottakkunnu, a hilly area which had been rocked by massive landslides two days ago.

It was believed that the woman, Geethu, 21, was lying with her one and half-year-old son Dhruv, holding his hand when the unexpected flood fury and landslide had swept them away on Friday (August 9) afternoon.

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After a long search, the bodies of Geethu, wife of Sarath, and the child were recovered by rescue personnel on Sunday (August 11).

It was heart-wrenching for local people and the rescue officials to see the bodies of the mother and child beneath the piles of mud and slush, their hands clasped together.

While Sarath had escaped unhurt, the body of his mother, Sarojini was recovered on Monday (August 12).

Sarath and family were staying in a rented house at Kottakkunnu, a fragile area in Malappuram, which had witnessed widespread destruction in the heavy rains and series of landslides last week.

So far, Kerala has witnessed a death toll of 72 in flood-related incidents even as rains abated on Sunday (August 11) after pounding the state for days while the situation remained grim in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat where 97 people have lost their lives so far due to the monsoon fury.