The death toll in the devastating mudslide at the Wayanad end of the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi tunnel road project in Kerala climbed to four on Tuesday, even as an intensive multi-agency rescue operation continued to trace four people who remain missing beneath tonnes of mud and debris.
Ten injured persons are undergoing treatment in two hospitals, while rescue personnel are racing against time to reach those feared trapped. 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 bridge linking the affected areas has been buried under the debris, severely hampering rescue operations. Two excavators are working continuously to clear the mud and restore access for rescue teams. Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said all possible efforts were being made to rescue those trapped and that the state machinery was working in close coordination.
In a statement, she said Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan was personally monitoring the rescue operations, while teams of the police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Civil Defence volunteers had already been deployed at the site.
She said the district administration, Ministers T. Siddique and A.P. Anil Kumar, who were travelling from Thiruvananthapuram, local party functionaries and all agencies concerned were coordinating relief operations. Expressing grief over the tragedy, Priyanka Gandhi 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.
"At a time like this, we must ensure that rescue and relief operations are not hampered. Everyone should help in every possible way without creating any distraction," she said. The rescue operation continues on a war footing, with heavy earth-moving equipment being pressed into service to remove the huge volume of debris and search for the missing persons.
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. Rescue personnel fear that people may still be trapped beneath the debris.
After chairing an emergency review meeting at the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) headquarters here, Satheesan said rescue teams are working despite incessant rain severely hampering operations. He said the authorities had repeatedly directed the construction company to remove the huge quantities of excavated earth that had been piled up at the site.
A formal government order to this effect had been issued on June 20, but the company failed to comply. He said that Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique had been directed to rush to Wayanad to supervise the rescue operations.
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. He said the initial assessment suggested that the mud had been stored in an unscientific manner despite concerns having been raised earlier.
"This is not a natural landslide. This is a man-made disaster," Siddique said, adding that the government would examine whether action had been taken after the earlier warnings.