Thiruvananthapuram/Wayanad, July 7 (IANS) One person was killed, seven others were injured, and seven others were missing in the mudslide at the Wayanad end of the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi tunnel road project on Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said, terming it “a very unfortunate tragedy”.

All of them are workers engaged in construction activities.

The mudslide occurred near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi, where the Wayanad end of the tunnel road project is under construction. Preliminary reports indicate that incessant rain triggered the collapse of massive heaps of excavated earth stacked at the site, burying parts of the work area.

The incident followed exceptionally heavy rainfall in Meppadi, which recorded 226 mm of rain in the past 24 hours.

The area is a popular tourist stop, and several private vehicles, along with a bus used to transport construction workers, were parked nearby when the mudslide occurred. Rescue personnel fear that people may still be trapped beneath the debris.

After chairing an emergency review meeting at the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) headquarters here, Satheesan said rescue teams are working despite incessant rain severely hampering operations.

“The latest information available with us is that one person has died, seven are in hospital, and seven others are missing. Rescue operations are continuing on a war footing,” he told reporters.

In a significant disclosure, Satheesan said the authorities had repeatedly directed the construction company to remove the huge quantities of excavated earth that had been piled up at the site.

A formal government order to this effect had been issued on June 20, but the company failed to comply.

“Any project under execution has to strictly follow safety norms. It is extremely unfortunate that such an incident has occurred,” he said, adding that Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique had been directed to rush to Wayanad to supervise the rescue operations.

Talking to the media before leaving for the accident site, Siddique said preliminary findings pointed to the manner in which excavated earth had been dumped at the tunnel construction site.

“What is emerging from the spot is that the ongoing tunnel excavation and the storage of excavated earth at the site led to the disaster. Injured people are in hospital, and their condition is stable. Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are reaching the site, while fire force personnel are already engaged in rescue operations,” the minister said.

He said the initial assessment suggested that the mud had been stored in an unscientific manner despite concerns having been raised earlier.

“This is not a natural landslide. This is a man-made disaster,” Siddique said, adding that the government would examine whether action had been taken after the earlier warnings.

While the heavy rain may have acted as the immediate trigger, the focus of the investigation is expected to centre on whether the dumping of excavated earth and lapses in safety measures significantly contributed to the disaster.

Wayanad Lok Sabha member Priyanka Gandhi also spoke to the Wayanad District Collector.

–IANS

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