Massive landslide hits Wayanad Tunnel Project near Meppady; 4 killed

With the 2024 Chooralmala horrors fresh in the minds of people in Kerala’s Wayanad, a major landslide was reported at Kalladi near Meppady on Tuesday (July 7). At least four people have died and four remain missing. Eight people are in hospital, undergoing treatment.

The landslide occurred near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, where work on a tunnel road project connecting Kozhikode and Wayanad districts was underway. The debris crashed onto the ongoing Anakkompoyil-Meppadi twin-tunnel road construction site.

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The spot is around 5.5 km from Chooralmala, where a devastating landslide claimed 300 lives and flattened scores of houses on July 30, 2024.

226 mm rain in 24 hours

Tuesday’s disaster was triggered by torrential rainfall measuring 226 mm over 24 hours. According to Chief Minister VD Satheeshan, “There are reports of the death of one person. According to preliminary information, seven persons have been admitted to the hospital, and seven persons are missing. Police and the Fire Department are conducting a search and rescue operation there.”

Later, Health Minister K Muraleedharan confirmed two deaths. "Rescue work will be completed after road clearance. We have directed all hospitals in Wayanad for the treatment of the labourers who were from outside Kerala. The primary report suggests no locals were affected in the incident," he added.

The Kerala PRD later updated the number of rescued people to eight. They have been shifted to Meppadi WIMS Hospital for treatment. A relief camp has been opened at Chulikka Government LP School, and residents from homes in the affected area are being shifted to the camp. Those undergoing treatment at WIMS Hospital are Hira Kumar, Dileep, Suraj Yadav, Sanjay Thakur, Rajneesh, Tanmay Ghosh, Koopamal (Jaya), Kunju and Santosh Kumar, the update said.

Local residents and emergency services reportedly rescued three people from the site, where workers associated with the tunnel project were staying. A few vehicles that transport tunnel employees were damaged in the landslide.

Also read: Wayanad landslide, one year on: Scars remain, but hope endures

A senior government official told reporters that there were no workers at the site and those feared trapped under the mud were engineers and security staff. “Had the work been ongoing at the site, the tragedy would have been bigger,” she contended.

Disaster caught on camera

Shocking visuals of a huge mound of mud sliding down on to the road and bridge near Kalladi have been doing the round of social media. Someone can be heard shouting “run fast, friends” as several people, including women, attempt to outrun the landslide. The mudslide can be seen bringing down trees and blowing away the metal and cloth barricades set up at the construction site. The mudslide spills on to the road as people run for their lives.

Subsequent visuals showed the bridge and surrounding area completely covered by huge layers of mud as rescue personnel attempted to ascertain whether people were trapped underneath it. Road connectivity and transport in the area have been completely suspended due to heavy mud accumulation. Those living in nearby areas are being evacuated.

Ministers at site

Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Kalpetta rushed to the spot; besides, police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have also been deployed for the rescue operation.

Also read: Why the 2024 Wayanad relief fund is back in focus now

Kerala minister T Siddique and the Wayanad district collector are coordinating the search efforts and verifying whether more people are trapped in the affected area. The minister said two teams comprising 60 NDRF personnel from Wayanad and Kozhikode have been directed to the site.

“The district collector is present at the site. Minister AP Anil Kumar and I are going to the site,” he said.

AP Anil Kumar told reporters, “Our first priority is to save anyone trapped under the debris; happened due to the piled up soil from the construction work.”

‘Manmade’ disaster, says Kerala govt

Siddique told reporters, “It is not a natural landslide, but man-made. It is a clear case of lapse. Six people have been seriously injured, and they were hospitalised. Their condition is stable. We will continue search and rescue at the site in Kalladi.”

Siddique said the district collector “had given in writing to Konkan Railways regarding the chance of a landslide at the site”. “Konkan Railways was directed to take necessary action about this earlier, but no action was taken by them. Such things cannot be tolerated because two years ago, 298 people lost their lives in a landslide at Mundakkai,” he added.

Konkan Railway Corporation Limited is the implementing agency for the tunnel project. Siddique further alleged that several key safety directives were ignored during its execution, including suspension of construction during the monsoon and relocating families living near the site to safer locations.

Soil not removed: CM

Satheesan alleged that the Disaster Management Authority and the district collector had issued an order on June 20 to remove the soil from the construction site of the tunnel. "The contractor for tunnel construction did not obey the order. We are sending two ministers to the spot to coordinate the rescue efforts. The CM's office will continue to monitor the situation,” he added.

Earlier, Satheesan posted on X that the government was reviewing the situation and that he held an emergency meeting with Siddique. He added that directions have been issued to coordinate rescue operations without delay and he also spoke with the district collector over the phone.

Red alert in Wayanad

The IMD issued a red alert in the district at 12.30 pm after the landslide hit around 11 am. A red alert was also sounded in the neighbouring Kozhikode district, while orange alerts were issued in the Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

IMD scientist Neetha K Gopal told news agency ANI, “Wayanad did not get much rainfall this monsoon so far. In fact, Wayanad district has a 51 per cent deficiency in rainfall. But since yesterday, the Westerly winds have strengthened and almost all the hilly regions of Kerala, especially Wayanad, Malappuram, Udukki, Palakkad districts, have started getting rainfall. Yesterday night, the rain picked up, and Wayanad received extremely heavy rainfall. The wind is expected to remain strong. We have issued a Red alert for Wayanad and Calicut districts today.”

The work for Anakkompoyil-Meppadi started last year, connecting Malappuram and Wayanad districts. There are also a few houses and homestays in the area.

(With agency inputs)