Landslide Strikes Kerala Twin Tunnel Site, Leaving Three Dead and Several Missing

A catastrophic landslide hit the under-construction Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi twin tunnel road project site at Kalladi near Meppady in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. The disaster occurred on Tuesday morning following intense monsoon downpours, leaving three migrant labourers dead, and five others missing. Emergency response teams immediately launched search operations across designated sectors.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed rescue teams to the site near the Meenakshi Bridge. Debris completely severed the critical Meppadi-Chooralmala road, which severely hampered initial rescue operations. Heavy earth-moving machinery was brought in to clear the route, but continuous rainfall complicated the search for survivors.

According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the area received approximately 265 millimetres of rainfall within twenty-four hours. This intense deluge quickly saturated the steep hillside terrain, destabilising the soil where extensive slope cutting had been undertaken. The avalanche of heavy mud and uprooted trees buried several vehicles, crushed temporary labour camps, and partially destroyed a nearby house.

The three deceased labourers were identified as Chandraban from Madhya Pradesh, Bikash Kumar from Bihar, and Anmol from Jharkhand. Ten individuals sustained injuries during the collapse. Five injured workers are currently undergoing medical treatment at the WIMS Hospital in Meppadi, with one individual reported to be in critical condition.

Following the disaster, the state government immediately suspended all construction work at the mountain corridor site. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan visited the accident spot to evaluate rescue operations and announced an ex gratia payment of five lakh rupees to the families of the deceased. The government has mandated a comprehensive techno-legal investigation into the incident.

A fierce political debate has emerged regarding the exact cause of the disaster. State ministers described the incident as a man-made tragedy. They blamed the unscientific accumulation of excavated earth, which had been piled near the tunnel portal despite multiple warnings from the Public Works Department (PWD).

Officials noted that the Wayanad district collector had issued a written order on June 20, directing the project contractors to stop work until the accumulated soil was removed. Local authorities claim those safety instructions were ignored. However, the contracting firm maintained that the slide originated from a forest area outside their active worksite.

The 2,134-crore rupee infrastructure project is being executed by the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), while the construction contract is handled by Bhopal-based Dilip Buildcon Limited (DBL). The engineering design features an 8.2-kilometre twin-tube tunnel designed to bypass the heavily congested Thamarassery Ghat road, connecting Kozhikode and Wayanad.

Environmental activists have renewed their demands for a total cancellation of the project. They argue that drilling through the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats mountain range drastically increases landslide risks. The Supreme Court of India (SCI) had previously declined to halt the project in April, declaring it a corridor of national importance.

The disaster site sits just four kilometres from the location of the devastating 2024 landslides, which claimed nearly 300 lives. This proximity has intensified local anxieties, as emergency personnel continue utilizing cadaver dogs to locate the missing workers.