Kodagu: Rescue personnel on Wednesday, August 23, recovered three bodies in flood-hit Kodagu, taking the death toll to nine after the heavy rainfall and landslides wreaked havoc in the district over the past couple of weeks.

Two bodies in Yemetalu and one in Katakeri have been retrieved by the rescue personnel, said Kodagu Superintendent of Police Suman D Pennekar.

The deceased are identified as Leelavathi and her son Umesh and their bodies were found about two km away from their house that was washed away. The other body is of Pavan (33).

“The rescue operation will continue till Thursday,” Pennekar said.

At least 16 persons are feared dead since August 14, but only nine bodies have been recovered so far.

The decrease in the intensity of rainfall on Wednesday gave rescue personnel the opportunity to screen each and every house wherever landslides have occurred. Over 4,450 people had been rescued, authorities said.

There was no link between the landslides and the last-known earthquake in the district on July 9, reported a team of scientists from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI).

For the people who have been displaced, the state government has announced that a single-window system would be set up to issue fresh set of requires documents, either free of cost or at a nominal price.