Five killed in Wayanad mudslide, rescue teams search for missing persons

Thiruvananthapuram/Wayanad, July 7 (IANS): At least five people were killed in a major mudslide at the Meppadi-Kalladi tunnel construction site in Kerala's Wayanad on Tuesday, while three persons remained missing and seven others were undergoing treatment in hospital, as rescue teams pressed ahead with a massive search operation involving personnel, heavy earth-moving machinery, and sniffer dogs.

Authorities said the rescue efforts would continue through the night in the hope of tracing the missing workers buried under the huge mound of earth that collapsed at the construction site. Meppadi police have registered a case in connection with the incident, and investigations are under way.

The mudslide occurred near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, where the Wayanad end of the tunnel road project is under construction. Preliminary reports indicate that incessant rain triggered the collapse of massive heaps of excavated earth stacked at the site, burying parts of the work area.

The incident followed exceptionally heavy rainfall in Meppadi, which recorded 226 mm of rain in the past 24 hours.

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

The massive mudslide also swept away a church and a nearby house.

Fortunately, the house was locked as its occupants had left on a pilgrimage to Mecca, while no one was inside the church when the incident occurred.

A couple who were waiting at the local bus stop witnessed the mountain of stacked mud crumbling 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, who reviewed the situation with senior officials at the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, said all available agencies had been pressed into service for the rescue operations.

He said that he has directed that every possible effort be made to trace the missing persons and ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured.

The Chief Minister has also deputed two ministers -- Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique -- to Wayanad to coordinate the rescue and relief operations on the ground.

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

He urged authorities to ensure that the rescue operations were carried out without any 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 prevailing situation in Wayanad. Describing the incident as deeply distressing, Gopi alleged that directions to remove the excavated earth piled up at the tunnel construction site had not been complied with, terming it a serious lapse.

He stressed that greater caution was required during tunnel construction in hilly regions and said the state government should take action 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 her deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and assured them of every possible support during the difficult time.

"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 general public to extend every possible assistance while strictly adhering to the directions of the district administration.

PWD Minister P.K. Basheer said the 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 complaints reached him on June 10 and that officials had inspected the site on June 25.

According to the minister, clear instructions had been issued to remove the accumulated excavated earth, while the company had assured the government that adequate safety measures had been put 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 in the day, talking to the media before leaving for the accident site, Siddique said preliminary findings pointed to the manner in which excavated earth had been dumped at the tunnel construction site despite concerns having been raised earlier.

"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 the earlier warnings.

Meanwhile, authorities are simultaneously drawing up plans to shift families living in vulnerable locations to relief camps.

District officials are assessing the situation to determine how many among nearly 400 families residing in and around the affected area would have to be evacuated as a precautionary measure.

All educational institutions in Wayanad have been declared closed on Wednesday.

The tragedy comes just 23 days short of the second anniversary of the devastating Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslides of July 30, 2024, when more than 200 people lost their lives, several others went missing, and entire settlements were buried under massive landslips.

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