Five killed in Wayanad mudslide as rescuers search for missing workers

Thiruvananthapuram/Wayanad — At least five people were killed Tuesday in a major mudslide at the Meppadi-Kalladi tunnel construction site in Kerala’s Wayanad district, while three others remained missing and seven were being treated at a hospital, officials said.

Rescue teams continued a large-scale search operation with personnel, heavy earth-moving equipment and sniffer dogs. Authorities said the operation would continue through the night in the hope of finding the missing workers believed to be buried under a large mound of earth that collapsed at the site.

Meppadi police have registered a case, and an investigation is underway.

The mudslide occurred near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, where work is underway on the Wayanad end of the tunnel road project. Preliminary reports suggested that relentless rain caused large piles of excavated earth stacked at the site to collapse, burying parts of the work area.

Meppadi recorded 226 mm of rain in the previous 24 hours.

The area is also a popular tourist stop. Several private vehicles and a bus used to transport construction workers were parked nearby when the mudslide occurred.

The slide swept away a church and a nearby house. Officials said the house was locked because its occupants had left on a pilgrimage to Mecca, while no one was inside the church at the time.

A couple waiting at a nearby bus stop said they narrowly escaped as the mound of mud came down.

“We were waiting at the bus stop, and suddenly we saw the mud coming down; we both ran. Had we remained there, we would have been buried in the mud. While my husband did not suffer any injuries, my hands were bruised as I fell down. We are both happy that our lives were saved,” the woman said.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan reviewed the situation with senior officials at the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority and said all available agencies had been deployed for rescue operations.

He said he had directed officials to make every possible effort to trace the missing and ensure proper medical care for the injured.

The Chief Minister also sent Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique to Wayanad to coordinate rescue and relief operations.

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan expressed grief over the tragedy and said the immediate priority should be rescuing those trapped and providing all possible help to affected families.

He urged authorities to carry out rescue operations without delay and called for a comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances that led to the accident.

Union Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi said he had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the landslide and the situation in Wayanad. Calling the incident deeply distressing, Gopi alleged that directions to remove excavated earth piled up at the tunnel construction site had not been followed, describing it as a serious lapse.

He said tunnel construction in hilly regions required greater caution and added that the state government should act against those responsible if lapses were established.

Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said all possible efforts were being made to rescue those trapped.

Expressing grief over the tragedy, she conveyed condolences to the families of those who died and assured them of support.

“Our prayers and hope are with those who are still missing. May they remain strong while rescue teams strive to reach them, and may their loved ones find the courage to endure this painful moment,” she said.

She also appealed to UDF workers, party functionaries and the public to extend all possible assistance while following the directions of the district administration.

PWD Minister P.K. Basheer said rescue operations were progressing in full swing. Speaking from Delhi, he said he would reach Wayanad on Wednesday.

Basheer said he had taken up the issue after receiving complaints on June 10 and that officials inspected the site on June 25. He said clear instructions had been issued to remove the accumulated excavated earth and that the company had assured the government that adequate safety measures were in place.

“However, it appears things did not go as promised. I had repeatedly cautioned them that this was Wayanad where monsoon rains are heavy and extreme care was essential,” he said.

Earlier, Siddique said preliminary findings pointed to the way excavated earth had been dumped at the tunnel construction site despite earlier concerns.

“This is not a natural landslide. This is a man-made disaster,” he said, adding that the government would examine whether action had been taken after earlier warnings.

Authorities are also preparing to shift families from vulnerable areas to relief camps. District officials are assessing how many of the nearly 400 families living in and around the affected area may need to be evacuated as a precaution.

All educational institutions in Wayanad will remain closed Wednesday.

The tragedy comes less than a month before the second anniversary of the devastating Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslides of July 30, 2024, which killed more than 200 people, left several others missing and buried entire settlements under massive landslides.

The Rs 2,134 crore Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi tunnel project is being executed by Bhopal-based Dilip Buildcon Limited. Kolkata-based Royal Infra Construction is handling the approach roads, while Konkan Railway Corporation Limited is managing the project.