Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan recently convened an urgent meeting with Agriculture Minister T. Siddique, who is from Wayanad, in response to a mudslide incident near the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi tunnel road project in Wayanad. The Chief Minister emphasized the need for immediate coordination of rescue and relief efforts and tasked Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister Siddique to oversee the operations on-site.
The mudslide occurred close to the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, adjacent to the tunnel construction area. Initial reports suggest that the incident was exacerbated by large piles of excavated soil stored at the construction site. Due to heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours, the unstable ground collapsed, leading to the partial burial of the work zone.
Rescue teams have successfully saved three individuals and relocated them to safety. However, there are concerns that more workers and visitors might still be trapped under the debris as the search and rescue operations continue. The affected area, a popular tourist spot, had several private vehicles parked nearby during the mudslide, including a bus used for transporting construction workers that is feared to have been engulfed.
Emergency services such as the Fire and Rescue Department, police, and other agencies are actively engaged in the rescue mission. Additionally, a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been dispatched to bolster the ongoing efforts at the site. The incident follows intense rainfall in Meppadi, which received a record 226 mm of precipitation in the last day.
While the heavy downpour likely triggered the mudslide, authorities are still investigating the precise chain of events that led to the disaster. The exact number of individuals trapped and the full scope of the damage remain unconfirmed as the rescue operations persist.
