Kerala: Three killed, several injured in landslide in Wayanad

Three people were killed and 18 others were trapped in a landslide at the Kalladi tunnel road construction area at Meppadi, in Wayanad district, on Tuesday two years after the region suffered its worst natural catastrophe.

Rescue teams pulled out several people while a few were still trapped inside debris as of press time. The landslide occurred near the Meenakshi Bridge at the Kalladi–Anakkampoyil tunnel project site, burying workers, security personnel and supervisory staff engaged in the project.

Chief Minister VD Satheesan said he was personally monitoring the situation and drafted two ministers to the district to supervise the rescue operations.


Agriculture minister T Siddique said it was not a natural landslide, but a man-made landslide. Six seriously injured persons have been admitted to the hospital. The district administration would continue searching and rescue at the site, he said.

The district administration, the minister added, had alerted Konkan Railways about the possibility of a landslide at the site. Two teams comprising 60 NDRF personnel from Wayanad and Kozhikode had been deployed at the site. “Konkan Railways was requested to act earlier, but they did not take any action. Such things cannot be tolerated because two years ago, 298 people lost their lives in a landslide at Mundakkai," the minister said.

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra said all efforts were on to rescue those still trapped in the landslide. The CM was monitoring relief efforts himself, the police and NDRF have been at the site for some time, SDRF teams and civil defence volunteers have also reached.

She appealed to UDF workers and members of the public to provide all possible support while strictly following the administration’s guidelines. “At a time like this, we need to ensure that relief and rescue efforts are not hampered, and we ensure all possible help without causing any distractions.”