Rescue mission enters final phase in Wayanad; three more bodies found

A search and rescue operation is underway at the site of a debris slide that hit the under-construction Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi twin tunnel project in Wayanad district on Thursday. | Photo credit: PTI

Intensive search and rescue operations at Kalladi in Wayanad’s Meppadiya panchayat entered its final phase on Thursday evening after the recovery of three more bodies. Despite torrential rain and a large stream of debris, rescue teams braved the bad weather on the third day of the demanding mission, bringing the confirmed death toll from Tuesday’s disaster to six.

According to officials overseeing operations under the state government and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the mission is nearing its end and only two people are still reported missing. Fire and Rescue Service officials said they would intensify their search in the Meenakshi River to trace them.

Two of the three victims found on Thursday were identified as Rahul Sharma, an engineer from Himachal Pradesh, and Mohammad Imran, an excavator operator from Bihar. After postmortem at Vythiri taluk hospital, their bodies were taken to Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital for embalming before repatriation.

Meanwhile, seven injured workers remain hospitalized, several of them are being monitored in the intensive care unit.

The disaster unfolded near the Meenakshi Bridge in Kalladi on July 7, where continuous rains reportedly triggered subsurface erosion creating hollow underground cavities.

Sources in the revenue department said that subsurface erosion has caused a massive soil collapse at the construction site of the under-construction Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi twin-tube tunnel road. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, state fire and rescue services and local teams continued to scour mudflows for the remaining and address the concerns of evacuated locals.

After visiting the site to review the rescue work, Public Works (PWD) Minister PK Basheer said the rescue teams faced a difficult situation as continuous rains hampered the removal of debris from the site. Experts had already warned of secondary landslides if the large-scale removal was carried out quickly, he said, adding that only the safest measures would be taken at the risk site.

Mr Basheer also clarified that the firm behind the construction of the tunnel road had been asked to remove the excavated soil as early as July 1, but had refused these warnings.

Police have registered a case of unnatural death and the state cabinet has ordered two high-level independent inquiries into safety and environmental violations, he said.

Center support

Besides, Mr. Basheer announced the Centre’s assurance of possible financial assistance for the construction of the Bairakuppa Bridge, with the foundation stone expected to be laid this November. A joint departmental meeting will be convened to expedite the ongoing survey for the Poozhithode-Padinjarathara alternative route, he said.

Agriculture Minister T. Siddique, who was camped at the site to coordinate relief efforts, made it clear that residents of the nearby Chooralmala region would not face transit or connectivity issues. The Wayanad District Collector has been tasked with creating a list of local families to streamline the distribution of special food rations and round-the-clock medical care. Debris accumulated along the roads will also be systematically removed, he said.

Published – 9 Jul 2026 20:25 IST