There are so many painful stories of the Wayanad tragedy that it is difficult to even narrate them. One such story is of Neetu Jojo. Neetu Jojo is the woman who first informed about the landslide and asked for help. She saved her husband and five-year-old child from this crisis but herself fought with death to save the lives of others. Several days after the incident, her body was recovered from near a waterfall. With the help of a bracelet, husband Jojo identified Neetu.

In fact, when the dance of death started at around 1.30 am on Tuesday, Neetu was the first to call the Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences and inform them about it. She used to work there. The recording of Neetu’s call seeking help for herself and some other families trapped in the house after the devastating landslide in Choorlamala has gone viral. In the recording, she can be heard giving details of the horror that happened on the morning of July 30, when her house was hit by a landslide. In this call recording, Neetu was heard saying that water was flowing inside her house, which was surrounded by debris including cars swept away in the landslide. She says that five to six families living near her house have taken shelter in her house to escape the fury of nature, which was comparatively safe.

WIMS Deputy General Manager Shanavas Pelliyal told the Times of India that when Neetu called at night, she told that there was a big landslide in the area. The whole area is sliding. She asked to send a vehicle for rescue. After this, Pelliyal dispatched the ambulance. However, the distance from there to Churumala was 40 minutes. So he asked Neetu to wait. After this, he tried to call Meppadi Police Station but the line was busy. After this, he called Kalpetta station but the policemen there had no information. After this, information was given to Thiruvananthapuram Control Room by calling 100.

An ambulance from the medical college was headed towards Neetu’s house, but debris had accumulated on the bridge over the river. Uprooted trees had blocked the way. In such a situation, the ambulance could not move ahead. Somehow an Omni van was sent. When Neetu saw that debris and water were continuously filling the house, she asked her husband to go out immediately with their five-year-old son and his parents. Neetu’s habit of serving people stopped her there. She asked her husband to go ahead and told him that she would also come in a while. Many neighbors had also come to their house. Around 4 am, a big landslide occurred and their house also got caught in it. The river flowing nearby changed its course and she was swept away along with the neighbors. Neetu’s body was found in Suchimala waterfall.