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

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.