Live: Wayanad Twin-Tunnel Site Landslip — NDRF Deployed, Workers Trapped, Rescue Underway

Dilip Buildcon Limited, the firm entrusted with the construction of the Wayanad tunnel road linking Kozhikode and Wayanad (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi), has asserted that all work on the project is being executed in strict adherence to every applicable engineering, safety, and environmental clearance and procedure. Addressing Tuesday's (July 7, 2026) debris slip, company secretary Abhishek Shrivastava said that because of the project's location within an ecologically sensitive zone, multiple layers of regulatory oversight and monitoring are in place, including supervision by the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee, and that all excavated material has been handled strictly in line with the approved methodology.

Nearly two years after the devastating landslides that claimed around 300 lives in Wayanad, precise weather prediction for the region continues to be an elusive goal. The atmospheric conditions on the eve of this latest calamity bore a close resemblance to those that preceded the July 2024 disaster. Neetha K. Gopal, Director of IMD Thiruvananthapuram, told The Hindu that the prevailing synoptic weather pattern, including the offshore trough, will continue for the next two days, and that rainfall activity in the region is expected to drop significantly after July 9 as the weather system over the Bay of Bengal loses strength.

The families who were rescued following the debris slip at the Wayanad tunnel construction site near Meppadi have been moved to the Government Polytechnic School.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi has revealed that he personally informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the Wayanad tunnel accident. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), Mr. Gopi said that the authorities had been directed to remove soil from the construction site but had failed to act on those instructions. "If that is true, it is a serious lapse that warrants government action," he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) offered his condolences to the families of those who perished in the Wayanad debris slip and called upon United Democratic Front (UDF) workers to render all possible help to the State administration. "Wayanad has demonstrated remarkable resilience when faced with adversity before, and together, we will stand by every family affected by this tragedy," he wrote.

Expressing deep sorrow over the deaths caused by the debris slip triggered by heavy monsoon rains at the Meppadi-Kallady tunnel construction zone in Wayanad on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan said the incident was extremely tragic and deeply shocking. Mr. Vijayan stressed that urgent measures are needed to bring out all those still buried underground. He also lent his backing to the steps being taken by the government and the Disaster Management department.

Officials confirmed on Tuesday evening (July 7, 2026) that at least three people have lost their lives in a large-scale debris slip at the Wayanad tunnel road construction site, while five others remain untraced. A search and rescue operation is actively under way at the scene. A total of 18 individuals were caught up in the disaster, officials added. Ten of them have been brought to WIMS Hospital, Meppadi, for treatment of injuries sustained. Those affected included labourers on the tunnel road project, security personnel, and supervisory staff.

In the wake of the massive debris slip set off by torrential monsoon rainfall at Kalladi — close to the entrance of the under-construction Wayanad tunnel road (the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi project linking Kozhikode with Wayanad) — experts on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) sounded a fresh warning to authorities about the hazards of pursuing large infrastructure development inside ecologically vulnerable regions. Experts cautioned that the Wayanad tunnel project carries serious risks for delicate ecosystems, urging policymakers to enforce stricter guidelines given the steadily rising threat of landslides across the area.

Closed-circuit camera footage recorded at the Wayanad tunnel project site has caught the precise moment the debris surge arrived. The clip shows a tanker truck being dragged sideways along the road by the force of the flow, as three individuals manage to get out of harm's way just in time.

The 8.73-km Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi tunnel road, designed to connect Wayanad and Kozhikode districts, is counted among the most ambitious infrastructure undertakings in the state, according to Public Works Department (PWD) officials. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change imposed 24 strict conditions on the project to ensure its execution does not damage the environment. Among these conditions were a mandatory clear demarcation of converted forest land, compensatory afforestation over an equivalent area of non-forest land, and the planting of no fewer than 1,000 saplings per hectare within a two-year window.

Agriculture Minister T. Siddique of Kerala stated that the debris slip in Wayanad was a direct consequence of excavated soil being stacked without following proper scientific methods, and held the contractor responsible for not clearing the accumulated earth before the disaster struck. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, meanwhile, disclosed that both Public Works Department Minister P.K. Basheer and the District Collector had issued clear advance instructions to the contractors to remove the large volume of earth that had gathered in the area. The Chief Minister further alleged that despite warnings from the District Disaster Management Authority, contractors repeatedly disregarded official directives and failed to haul away the dug-up soil. Agriculture Minister T. Siddique has asserted that the Wayanad debris slip was entirely man-made, with unscientific soil stacking and blatant contractor negligence cited as the root causes amid heavy rainfall.

Congress MLA I.C. Balakrishnan said, 'The rescue operation is being conducted in a well-coordinated manner and all arrangements are in place. Restoring access through the bridge remains necessary. The supervisor informed us that 18 workers had headed out for work today. Of them, 9 are currently undergoing treatment at Meppadi Medical College. Two bodies have been found so far. There is still no word on the whereabouts of the remaining seven individuals.' - ANI

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi called on UDF workers to offer every possible form of assistance in the ongoing relief efforts, while strictly adhering to all guidelines laid down by the administration.

IMD scientist Neetha K. Gopal stated that Wayanad had been receiving far below-average rainfall over the preceding days, with the district currently running a 51 percent rainfall deficit. From yesterday onward, however, westerly winds gained considerable strength, bringing precipitation to most of Kerala's hill districts — including Wayanad, Malappuram, Idukki and Palakkad. The situation turned severe overnight, with Wayanad recording extremely heavy rainfall. The strong wind pattern is forecast to continue. In light of the deteriorating weather, the IMD has placed Wayanad and Kozhikode (Calicut) districts under a Red Alert for the day.

Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has officially confirmed that two people lost their lives in the mudslide. "All hospitals in Wayanad have been instructed to provide adequate care to the workers, who came from outside the state. According to preliminary reports, no local residents were among those affected by the incident," the Minister stated.

Rescue teams are encountering serious obstacles as a freshly issued IMD warning for intense rainfall, combined with thick layers of mud blanketing the site, has made it extremely difficult to deploy heavy earth-moving machinery.

Among the seven individuals reported missing after Tuesday's debris slip at Kalladi near Meppadi in Wayanad are senior officials overseeing the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi tunnel road project, along with construction labourers working at the site. The Wayanad district administration said in a statement that the nine survivors pulled from the debris-affected zone have been transferred to WIMS Hospital in Meppadi. A relief camp has been set up at Chulikka Government Lower Primary School, and residents of homes in the surrounding area are being moved there for safety.

Agriculture Minister T. Siddique and Wayanad District Collector Meghashree D.R. are jointly overseeing the rescue operation, working alongside site personnel to cross-check employment records and trace the seven individuals still unaccounted for. Rescue teams are contending with significant difficulties as a freshly issued IMD red alert for extremely heavy rainfall, combined with thick mud at the site, has made deploying heavy excavation equipment extremely challenging.

Although initial accounts had described the event as a natural landslide, State Agriculture Minister T. Siddique flatly rejected that characterisation and squarely held project authorities responsible. Addressing the media at the scene, the Minister labelled it a "man-made landslide," alleging that Konkan construction officials had piled up excavated earth and mud without adhering to any scientific norms, and that safety warnings raised at prior meetings had been completely ignored. KSDMA clarified that actual tunnelling work had been called off since Monday owing to severe weather, but the labourers were moving around the site at the time the enormous heap of discarded excavated soil suddenly gave way and collapsed.

One day after the extreme weather event, the India Meteorological Department placed Wayanad and Kozhikode under a red alert on Tuesday, cautioning of extremely heavy rainfall to come, while Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod received an orange alert for intense heavy rain forecast over the next 24 hours. Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Idukki have been placed under a yellow alert for scattered heavy rain in the coming 24 hours. A depression active over the Bay of Bengal is responsible for widespread heavy precipitation sweeping through the state, particularly across northern Kerala and the country's West Coast. Wayanad had been under a yellow alert on Monday, yet the district recorded around 265 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday — a total that the IMD classifies as extremely heavy rainfall.

In the aftermath of the mudslide in Wayanad on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan convened an urgent meeting with Agriculture Minister T. Siddique, who hails from the district. The Chief Minister directed Revenue Minister A.P. Anilkumar and Mr. Siddique to proceed to Wayanad immediately and take charge of coordinating relief and rescue efforts on the ground.

In the wake of Tuesday's (July 7, 2026) mudslide in Wayanad, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan held an emergency meeting with Agriculture Minister T. Siddique, who hails from the affected district. He directed Revenue Minister A.P. Anilkumar and Mr. Siddique to leave for Wayanad without delay and take charge of coordinating the relief and rescue work on the ground.

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan stated that at least one person has died in the mudslide and seven others remain untraced. He added that seven more individuals who sustained injuries in the incident are currently admitted to a hospital and receiving treatment.

[Photo: Visuals from the Kalladi-Meppadi Tunnel Project site in the aftermath of the mudslide.]

Kerala Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar confirmed that rescue and relief work at the Wayanad mudslide site is already in progress. He said a contingent of 30 NDRF personnel has reached the spot, and officials are in the process of collecting complete details about the tragedy before issuing a comprehensive statement.

Relentless monsoon downpours on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) unleashed a massive landslide at Kalladi, near Meppadi in Wayanad, at the entrance of the under-construction Wayanad tunnel road (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi) project being built to link Kozhikode with Wayanad, prompting a large-scale rescue operation. The slide struck in the area around the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi. Officials said rescue efforts are in full swing, and at least five survivors have been extracted from the debris and transported to a nearby hospital. The rescues were concentrated around the temporary quarters where the tunnel project's labourers were staying. Construction activity at the site had already been suspended after the authorities issued a stop memo in response to the intense monsoon rainfall. The landslip at the Wayanad tunnel road project location has triggered a major rescue drive, with fears persisting that workers may still be buried beneath the rubble.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), as quoted by ANI, reported that five people were hurt after debris from the Wayanad-Kalladi tunnel construction site gave way under heavy rain. All five injured persons have been admitted to a local hospital. At the time of the report, the authority stated that no fatalities had been recorded from the incident.

Kerala Agriculture Minister T. Siddique declared that this was no natural calamity but a man-made disaster, calling it an unambiguous case of negligence. He stated that six people sustained serious injuries and are currently hospitalised, with their condition described as stable. Search and rescue operations at the Kalladi site will be sustained, he added. Siddique pointed out that the District Collector had already put on record in writing to Konkan Railways the landslide risk at this location. Two teams totalling 60 NDRF personnel, drawn from Wayanad and Kozhikode, have been dispatched to the spot. The District Collector is already on the ground, and Siddique said he would be heading there alongside State Minister A.P. Anil Kumar. He noted that Konkan Railways had previously been instructed to act on the risk but failed to do so. Siddique called such inaction intolerable, citing the Mundakkai landslide of two years ago that had taken 298 lives.

As soon as news of the landslip broke, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan called an urgent meeting with Agriculture Minister T. Siddique to assess the situation. "Orders have been issued to keep rescue operations moving without interruption. Both Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique were told to head to Wayanad without delay. I also had a phone conversation with the District Collector," Chief Minister Satheesan said.

On Tuesday (July 7, 2026), a landslip hit the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi twin-tunnel road construction site lying close to the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, Wayanad district. Rescue work is actively underway at the scene, and NDRF has been mobilised on an emergency footing. At least two construction workers have been pulled from the rubble and transported to hospital, while ongoing search operations continue to establish whether further workers remain trapped beneath the debris.