Wayanad landslide: Keralam CM Satheesan visits spot; search and rescue ops intensified
Wayanad, July 8
Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday visited the site of the massive landslide in Kalladi, Wayanad, to oversee search and rescue operations.
The landslide, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon at an under-construction twin-tunnel project site, has claimed three lives, while over nine people are still feared missing.
Heavy rainfall in the region have significantly hampered the rescue efforts, which involve teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local fire and rescue services.
Three people died and over nine are missing in the incident which occurred yesterday.
A search and rescue operation is underway at the site amid heavy rainfall.
Earlier today, addressing a press conference following the Cabinet meeting, Satheesan said the government would initiate both technical and legal proceedings to determine the circumstances that led to the accident.
"Today's Cabinet meeting evaluated the tragedy in Wayanad and reviewed all reports received so far. It has been decided to initiate technical and legal proceedings to investigate the circumstances that led to this accident. In addition, preliminary reports suggest that another landslide occurred just above this site. Further decisions will be made after looking into that as well," he said.
The Chief Minister said one investigation would focus on the cause of the landslide, while another would examine whether the environmental clearance conditions imposed by the Centre for the tunnel project had been complied with.
"The central government had granted environmental clearance for this tunnel construction project with strict instructions. Whether the contractors followed them will be examined. Work will resume only after assessing all accident risks; until then, construction remains suspended. Two separate investigations will be conducted: one into the cause of the accident and another into whether environmental clearance guidelines were followed," Satheesan said.
The landslide struck the tunnel construction site at Kalladi in Meppadi Grama Panchayat at around 11:15 am on Tuesday, burying large sections of the worksite under an estimated 7 to 10 feet of mud and debris.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is heartbreaking. Wayanad is such a beautiful place, but development projects need to be more careful about safety, especially during monsoon season. The NDRF and SDRF teams are doing great work in difficult conditions. Hope the missing are found safe. 🤞
Terrible news. Three lives lost and nine missing—this is a major disaster. The fact that the landslide occurred at a tunnel construction site raises serious questions about safety protocols during heavy rainfall. Two separate investigations make sense, but action must be swift. Thoughts with everyone affected.
As someone from Kerala, this hits close to home. Wayanad is prone to landslides during heavy rains, and building tunnels there without proper safeguards is risky. Good that CM Satheesan is personally visiting and ordering investigations, but I hope this isn't just for show. We need real change in how infrastructure projects are monitored. 🌧️
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