On Tuesday, a dreadful landslide occurred due to the continuous rainfall near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, close to the site of the ongoing Anakkompoyil Meppadi tunnel road project connecting Malappuram and Wayanad districts.
Details on the landslide
A major landslide caused by heavy rainfall froze the entire Wayanad as well as the internet, leaving two people killed and six to seven people injured and triggering a large-scale rescue operation, with authorities fearing that several others may still be trapped beneath the debris. The injured people were admitted to the hospital for treatment.
Authorities believed that the area recorded 265 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, with incessant rain believed to have triggered the landslide. A few vehicles used for transporting tunnel project workers were damaged in the incident.
Occured Place background
The construction underway is the flagship Anakkompoyil-Meppadi twin-tunnel road, designed to connect the Kozhikode/Malappuram and Wayanad districts.
At the actual site, the landslide pushed heavy debris, trees, and vehicles into the adjacent river, severely impacting local crossings and marred access points where workers' quarters and transport vehicles were parked. Work had already been temporarily suspended at the tunnel due to the heavy rain alerts.
Immediate actions taken
Immediate actions taken by state authorities, emergency response teams, and residents following the landslide at the Wayanad-Kalladi tunnel road project site. Construction work on the twin-tunnel road was halted following a stop memo issued by the authorities due to torrential rains.
The Fire and Rescue Services rushed to the location, while National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams also joined the rescue operations. Kerala Revenue Minister AP Anil Kumar states that a team of 30 NDRF personnel reached the spot quickly to join the rescue operation.
Actions taken by the Government
Following the Wayanad landslide, the Chief Minister, V.D. Satheesan, urgently convened an emergency meeting with Minister T. Siddique to discuss the incident and ordered the immediate coordination of rescue operations to save the people's lives. He also instructed AP Anil Kumar and Minister Siddique to immediately travel to the district and personally oversee the rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, T. Sidhique, the Agricultural Minister in Kerala, alleged that the crisis that happened is man-made. He also calls the accident a clear case of lapse. He informed that the injured member's condition was stable and that the rescue team would continue to search for any people who were stuck at the accident site.
He further added, "The District Collector is present at the site. I, along with State Minister AP Anil Kumar, am going to 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."
IMD'S Red alert for Wayanad
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has declared a red alert for Wayanad district in Kerala following significant rainfall in Mananthavady and Vythiri.
A landslide occurred at the Kalladi tunnel project site around 11 am. A red alert was also issued for the nearby Kozhikode district, while orange alerts have been announced for Malappuram, Kannur, and Kasaragod.
The incident is not welcoming, and it makes people fear and remember the 298 deaths at Mundakkai in Wyanad a year before due to a landslide like this. Still, the rescuers are struggling to search for and save people's lives.
