Wayanad Man Lost 11 Family Members In Landslide. Now, He Runs A Restaurant Named ‘July 30’

Last Updated:July 26, 2025, 17:54 IST

Kalathingal Noufal lost 11 family members in the Wayanad landslides on July 30, 2024. A year later, he rebuilt his life, opened a restaurant named 'July 30'.

Last month, Noufal ushered in another new beginning by getting married to Safna. (X)

The catastrophic landslides that struck Kerala’s Wayanad on July 30, 2024, wiped out 11 members of Kalathingal Noufal’s family including his wife and three children.

The accident was life-changing for him. Now a year later, his story is one of grit, determination and massive support. Despite suffering such a huge loss, Naufal did not give up. He pulled himself together and decided to rebuild his life.

Today, the 43-year-old has found a new partner, started a restaurant — named ‘July 30’ — and got a new house, reported Indian Express.

Naufal was living in Mundakkai, the village in Wayanad that was totally wiped out in the landslides that claimed 298 lives, washed away houses and buildings.

On the day of tragedy, Naufal was working as a chef in Oman. When he got the news of the tragedy, he immediately returned to India and witnessed his life tattering into rubbles, reported Indian Express.

“I had to go through the trauma of seeing their bodies. Of the 11, I could only identify five. The rest were identified through DNA tests," he said to the news outlet.

He then decided to move his life forward and fulfil the dream of his late wife, Sajna, to settle in Kerala by starting a restaurant.

Initially, he was living in a temporary house. He also refused to meet counselors, as he felt that reliving the past every time would only increase his pain. He tried to heal his wounds on his own. During that time, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM), a Muslim socio-religious organisation, gave him a financial aid of Rs 7 lakh.

Deciding to carry forward the wife’s dream, he started a restaurant-cum-bakery, which he named ‘July 30’ in memory of the day that upended his life.

“When I named the restaurant ‘July 30’, many people criticised me. But everyone who goes to the affected areas should recall that day, the tragedy and the loss. That will make people humble and bring them closer to God," he told the news outlet.

Later, the Oman-based Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC) bought land for him and built a new house, the keys of which were handed over to him recently. After this, Naufal also married Safna, making a new beginning.

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...

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Location :

Wayanad, India, India

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News india Wayanad Man Lost 11 Family Members In Landslide. Now, He Runs A Restaurant Named ‘July 30’