Wayanad, July 8: A landslide at the Kalladi tunnel construction project in Wayanad district claimed three lives and left eight workers hospitalized on Tuesday morning. The disaster has triggered sharp criticism from state ministers who termed the incident a manmade lapse resulting from improper waste management during excavation. The tragedy unfolded around 11 am, just as torrential rains began battering the locality, forcing the India Meteorological Department to issue a critical red alert for Wayanad and Kozhikode shortly after.
Administrative leaders reported that the construction management had been forewarned about the structural vulnerabilities of the site. Agriculture Minister T Siddique disclosed that formal notifications regarding the impending dangers had been ignored by project coordinators. He declared that it was a clear case of lapse, noting that the District Collector had given in writing to Konkan Railways regarding the chance of a landslide at the site. He also asserted that two teams comprising 60 National Disaster Response Force personnel from Wayanad and Kozhikode had been directed to the site to assist in the crisis.
Rescue operations intensified through the afternoon as Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala directed the Fire Force Chief and the District Police Chief to deploy all available resources. Personnel from the forest department and local neighborhoods joined the search to locate laborers trapped beneath the mud. The eight rescued workers are currently receiving treatment at Meppadi WIMS Hospital while families from adjacent colonies are being relocated to safety.
Chief Minister VD Satheesan monitored the ground situation closely and stated that rescue efforts were going on. He affirmed that the collapse at the Wayanad tunnel construction site was an unfortunate disaster. The Chief Minister also maintained that contractors had failed to comply with repeated directions from the authorities to remove excavated soil, even after warnings from the District Disaster Management Authority.
