Building communal harmony and setting an exemplary example of humanity, a mosque in Kerala has opened its doors to conduct autopsies on bodies of landslide victims.
Malappuram district in northern Kerala was hit by the disastrous landslides burying more than 50 people alive. It was considered one of the worst landslides in recent history.
Rescue operations are still in place to recover the bodies of the dead. When the areas became isolated and inaccessible shifting bodies to a hospital which was 22 kilometers away was practically impossible.
This was the time when the Muslims of Pothukallu stepped in with the offer to open the doors of Salafi Juma Masjid for conducting autopsies.
According to reports, the benches and the desks at the madrasa (educational institution) located close to the mosque were used to perform autopsies with a group of volunteers helping the process.
However, it wasn't only the bodies of Muslims permitted inside - cutting out all religious boundaries the bodies of non-Muslims were also allowed entry into this mosque.
“Converting a sacred place like a mosque into an autopsy room is a wonderful gesture from this land of communal amity,” Dr PS Sanjay, the forensic surgeon who led the autopsy told The Hindu newspaper.
A mosque in India that turned into makeshift autopsy centre Source: Asianet
After their place of worship was converted worshipers had to choose the nearby bus station for their Friday prayer.
The floods and landslides that spelled the state since August 8th have taken many lives and left hundreds homeless. According to the latest report the death toll from this natural calamity rose to 121.
At least 40 people have been injured and over 21 people are believed to be missing. Ground-penetrating radar systems were used on Sunday to locate the missing bodies that are believed to be trapped in the mud, reports say.
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi visits a landslide site in Kavalappara, Malappuram district, Kerala, Sunday, AUg.11, 2019. Source: AAP
Two villages were wiped out in the landslides and around 1,789 houses were completely damaged. Over 26,000 people have taken refuge in relief camps.
There are reports that the unexpected landslips were man-made.
SBS Malayalam spoke to Dr VS Sreekumar, a geologist at the Integrated Rural Technology Centre in India who said that the that are prone to natural calamities to the people living there.
Volunteers from around the state swept in to render their support by supplying food and clothes to the relief camps. Although the worst affected was the northern part of the state, offers poured in from the southern end too.
“, the capital city of the state voluntarily took over the job and involved in relief operations. Even after the flood, the people from the east and the people of north should hug each other,” Thiruvananthapuram Mayor VK Prasanth told SBS Malayalam.
Source: STR/AFP/Getty Images
In September 2018 Kerala was drowned in a massive flood, the biggest in a century. Although it hit hard this year, the worst affected was the hilly areas of the north.
