Indians in the Emirates were left devastated over the loss of relatives and friends in landslides that killed more than 140 people in southern Kerala.
UAE residents lost entire families when rivers of mud and boulders smashed into their homes as they slept when the first landslide struck at 1am on Tuesday in Kerala’s Wayanad district.
Many have returned to India in the hope of gaining more information about those still listed as missing.
Saneesh Joseph, a businessman in Fujairah, is in touch with a UAE resident who lost several family members.
It’s too difficult to imagine losing not just one family but nine families at once
Saneesh Joseph,
a Fujairah resident about a UAE resident who lost loved ones in the landslide
“He lost nine households, these families were staying in Mundakaii and Chooralmala towns in Wayanad,” said Mr Joseph, president of Incas, the Indian Cultural and Arts Society of Wayanad in Fujairah.
“The loss is too much to bear. There is nothing left of their homes as this area was the worst hit.
“He is suffering a lot, it’s too difficult to imagine losing not just one family but nine families at once.”
The landslide was described as the worst that Kerala has ever witnessed, according to Pinarayi Vijayan, the state's chief minister.
He told the media that 144 bodies were recovered, 191 people remained missing and more than 5,500 people were rescued from landslide-hit areas.
Listed missing
UAE residents made desperate calls home to check on their families, calling neighbours and state control helplines. Many social workers also had a list of names of the dead and injured in hospitals.
Sajan Varghese, a Sharjah resident, said many UAE residents had returned home hoping relatives had survived.
“My friends are badly affected, their loss is huge because they lost close family,” said Mr Varghese of the Pravasi Wayanad UAE association.
“They had family in three to four homes that are completely washed out. There were more than eight people in one home.
“Many of these houses were below where the landslide started. They are still listed as missing.”
Videos taken by rescue teams and non-government groups show large tracts of land inundated with water, houses uprooted, mud and stones piled away from the landslide site.
Indian army and air force teams removed people in helicopters and secured zip lines to reach people stranded when the sole bridge into Mundakkaii collapsed.
Community support
The community in the UAE is in constant touch with rescue groups back home and plans to offer long-term assistance in medicines, housing, food and grief counselling.
“Many of my friends are with the rescue teams and they are trying to help people who are in deep shock,” said Majeed Maniyodan, a Dubai resident from Wayanad and secretary of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre.
“This happened when people were sleeping and in hospitals, there are sad scenes of children asking for their parents and wives searching for their husbands.
“There are so many people missing and there is so much mud to clear.
“People are still hoping to get news that the missing have been found.”
Apart from families who lived on the hillside, the landslide also swept away makeshift homes of men working in tea plantations and cardamom estates in the area.
India’s armed forces have sent more than 300 military personnel with heavy engineering equipment to move the debris.
Additional columns of the army, navy and helicopters from the Indian Air Force will assist with rescue and relief efforts.
Kerala’s state government has announced a two-day mourning period.
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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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