Landslide in Akkulam: Collector stops construction of school building and orders evacuation of residents of neighboring flats

Residents of adjoining PRS Lake Villa Apartments have been ordered to be evacuated after they excavated land on a nearby school site on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), leading to a landslide | Photo credit: Jayamohan A.

District Collector Anju KS has ordered a halt to the construction of the Good Shepherd School building at Akkulam in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam, and the immediate evacuation of residents of the adjoining PRS Lake Villa Apartments after the removal of soil in the school premises led to a sinkhole.

The ground caved in barely 4m from the apartments early on Tuesday (October 13, 2026). The perimeter wall was completely destroyed and a 50-meter section of the road in front of the apartment collapsed.

The road in front of the flat complex near Thiruvananthapuram Road at Good Shepherd School caved in last night and created a crater on October 14. Another building is currently under construction below the site. No casualties have been reported yet. Video: Jayamohan A. https://t.co/rz9oTrAWKr

— The Hindu – Keralam (@THKerala) October 14, 2026

An order by the district collector, who is also the chairman of the district disaster management office, said the probe found that the school authorities unscientifically removed the soil without taking safety measures or constructing a retaining wall as per the permit conditions.

The Thiruvananthapuram tahsildar, the corporation secretary and the district police chief have been tasked with relocating the residents of the flat. The residents’ association was directed to submit a list of families to be relocated to the village official. Accommodation for families should be provided by the school.

The construction of the school building was ordered to stop until the place where the earth had fallen in had been fortified and any danger to the apartment had been completely removed.

School authorities should submit a proposal to eliminate all hazards, which must be reviewed and approved by the Department of Public Works, Soil Conservation, Mining and Geology and Society.

The order directed the company secretary to investigate whether the construction was carried out in accordance with the permit and the district geologist to investigate whether soil was removed beyond the permitted limit and initiate legal action.

Published – 14 Oct 2026 14:29 IST