Dilip Buildcon Limited, the company entrusted with the construction of the Wayanad tunnel road (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi) linking Kozhikode and Wayanad, has said the project is being executed in strict compliance with all applicable engineering, safety and environmental approvals and protocols.
Responding to the debris slip on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), company secretary Abhishek Shrivastava said given its location in an ecologically sensitive region, the project was subject to multiple regulatory oversight and monitoring mechanisms, including supervision by the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee, and that all excavated material was handled in accordance with the approved methodology.
Two years after the catastrophic landslides in Wayanad that claimed around 300 lives, accurate weather forecasting continues to remain elusive. The weather conditions in Wayanad on the eve of the latest tragedy were strikingly similar to those preceding the July 2024 disaster.
Speaking to The Hindu, Neetha K. Gopal, Director of the IMD, Thiruvananthapuram, says the prevailing synoptic weather conditions, including the offshore trough, will continue for the next two days and that rainfall activity in the region is expected to decline significantly after July 9 with the weakening of the prevailing system over the Bay of Bengal.
The families rescued following the debris slip at the Wayanad tunnel construction site near Meppadi have been shifted to the Government Polytechnic School.
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said he had brought the Wayanad tunnel accident to the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), Mr. Gopi said the authorities had failed to act on directions to remove soil from the construction site. “If that is true, it is a serious lapse that warrants government action,” he said.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) expressed condolences to the families of the deceased in the Wayanad debris slip and urged United Democratic Front (UDF) workers to extend assistance to the State administration.
“Wayanad has shown remarkable resilience in the face of adversity before, and together, we will stand by every affected family through this tragedy,” he wrote.
Expressing condolences over the deaths due to the debris slip triggered by torrential monsoon rains at the construction area of the Meppadi-Kallady tunnel in Wayanad on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan said that the incident is extremely tragic and shocking.
Mr. Vijayan said that urgent measures are required to pull out all the people trapped underground. He extended support for the measures taken by the government and the Disaster Management department.
At least three persons are reported dead, while five others are still missing after the massive debris slip at the Wayanad tunnel project construction site, officials said on Tuesday evening (July 7, 2026). A search and rescue operation is currently under way at the site.
A total of 18 people were stuck in the incident, they added. Of them, 10 have been admitted to WIMS Hospital, Meppadi, with injuries. Those involved in the incident included workers engaged in the tunnel road project, security personnel, and supervisory staff.
The Hindu Bureau
Experts have cautioned the authorities against the threat posed by major infrastructure projects in ecologically vulnerable regions in the wake of the massive debris slip triggered by torrential monsoon rains at Kalladi, near the entrance to the under-construction Wayanad tunnel road (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi) project linking Kozhikode to Wayanad, on Tuesday (July 7, 2026).
Experts warn that the Wayanad tunnel project poses risks to fragile ecosystems, urging stricter guidelines amid increasing landslide threats.
The CCTV visual from the debris slip at the Wayanad tunnel proejct site captures a tanker truck being swept across the road, while three people nearly escape the impact.
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According to Public Works department (PWD) officials, the 8.73-km Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi tunnel road project, connecting Wayanad and Kozhikode districts, is among the largest infrastructure development projects in the State.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had also stipulated 24 stringent conditions for the execution of the project without harming the environment. They included clear demarcation of the converted forest land, undertaking compensatory afforestation on an equivalent extent of non-forest land, and planting of at least 1,000 saplings per hectare within two years.
Kerala Agriculture Minister T. Siddique said the debris slip in Wayanad was caused by unscientifically stacked excavated soil, alleging that the contractor’s failure to remove the accumulated earth in time led to the incident.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said contractors had been instructed well in advance by Public Works Department Minister P.K. Basheer and the District Collector to remove the large quantity of earth that had accumulated in the area.
He alleged that contractors had failed to comply with repeated directions from the authorities to remove excavated soil, despite warnings from the District Disaster Management Authority.
Agriculture Minister T. Siddique claims Wayanad mudslide was man-made, citing unscientific soil stacking and contractor negligence amid heavy rains.
Congress MLA I. C. Balakrishnan says, “Rescue operations have been coordinated, and preparations are in place. Connectivity through the bridge needs to be restored. The supervisor said that 18 people had gone out for work today. Of them, 9 are undergoing treatment at Meppadi Medical College. Two bodies have been recovered. There is no information about the remaining seven people.”
- ANI
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi called upon UDF workers “to provide all possible support while strictly following the administration’s guidelines”.
IMD scientist Neetha K. Gopal says, “In past so many days, Wayanad did not get much rainfall. As of today, Wayanad district has a 51% deficiency in rainfall. Since yesterday, the Westerly winds have strengthened and almost all the hilly regions of Kerala,m especially Wayanad, Malappuram, Udukki, Palakkad districts have started getting rainfall. Yesterday night, the rain picked up, and Wayanad received extremely heavy rainfall. The wind is expected to remain strong. We have issued a ‘Red’ alert for Wayanad and Calicut districts today.”
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- ANI
Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said that two people have been confirmed dead in the mudslide.
“We have directed all hospitals in Wayanad for the treatment of the labourers who were from outside Kerala. The primary report suggests there were no local people affected in the incident,” he says.
- ANI
Rescue teams are facing severe difficulties as a newly issued IMD alert for heavy rainfall and thick mud continues to impede the deployment of heavy earth-moving equipment.
- The Hindu Bureau
The seven people reported missing following a debris slip at Kalladi near Meppadi in Wayanad on Tuesday include senior officials supervising the construction of the Wayanad tunnel road (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi) project and labourers.
In a statement, Wayanad district administration officials said the nine people rescued from the area affected by the debris slip had been shifted to WIMS Hospital, Meppadi. A relief camp has also been opened at Chulikka Government Lower Primary School, and residents of houses in the affected area are being moved there.
- The Hindu Bureau
Mr. Siddique and Wayanad District Collector Meghashree D.R. are coordinating rescue efforts, working with site officials to cross-reference employment logs and locate the seven missing persons. Rescue teams are facing severe difficulties as a newly issued IMD red alert for very heavy rainfall and thick mud continues to impede the deployment of heavy earth-moving equipment.
- The Hindu Bureau
While early reports classified the event as a natural landslide, State Minister for Agriculture T. Siddique issued a sharp statement holding project officials responsible. Speaking from the ground, the Minister declared the incident a “man-made landslide” caused by the unscientific dumping of excavated earth and mud by Konkan construction officials, noting that earlier safety warnings raised in meetings had been entirely ignored.
The KSDMA clarified that while actual tunnel construction had been suspended since Monday due to extreme weather, the affected labourers were moving around the site when the massive mound of discarded soil came crashing down.
- The Hindu Bureau
A day after the extreme rainfall struck, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Wayanad and Kozhikode, warning of extremely heavy rainfall on Tuesday, while an orange alert has been issued for Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod, where intense heavy rainfall is expected during the next 24 hours.
A yellow alert has also been issued for Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Idukki districts, warning of isolated heavy rains in the next 24 hours. The depression over the Bay of Bengal triggers heavy rainfall across the State, especially in northern Kerala and the West Coast of the country. A yellow alert was in place in Wayanad on Monday. However, around 265 mm of rain lashed the region during the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday, which is classified as extremely heavy rainfall by the IMD.
- The Hindu Bureau
In the wake of the mudslide in Wayanad on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan held an emergency meeting with Agriculture Minister T. Siddique, who hails from the district. He instructed Revenue Minister A.P. Anilkumar and Mr. Siddique to rush to Wayanad and coordinate the rescue operations.
Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan says at least one person died and seven others were missing following the mudslide. He says seven more people have been hospitalised.
- The Hindu Bureau
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“The rescue operation has already started. A team of 30 NDRF personnel has reached there. We are collecting information about the tragedy and then declare everything,” Kerala Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar says.
A major rescue operation is underway at Kalladi near Meppadi in Wayanad following a massive mudslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains near the entrance of the under-construction Wayanad tunnel road (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi) project linking Kozhikode to Wayanad on Tuesday (July 7, 2026).
The incident occurred near the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi. Officials said rescue operations were underway. At least five people have been pulled alive from the debris and shifted to a hospital. The rescues took place near the temporary quarters used by the tunnel project’s labourers. Work on the tunnel road had already been suspended after the authorities issued a stop memo in view of the heavy monsoon rains.
A mudslip at Wayanad's tunnel road project site triggers a major rescue operation amid fears of trapped workers.
Five people are injured after rubble from the Wayanad-Kalladi tunnel construction site slides down due to heavy rains in the area. The injured are admitted to a local hospital. There is no casualty in the incident, reports ANI citing the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).
- ANI
“It is not a natural landslide, but a man-made landslide. It is a clear case of lapse. Six people are seriously injured, and they are admitted to the hospital. Their condition is stable. We will continue search and rescue at the site in Kalladi. The District Collector had given in writing to Konkan Railways regarding the chance of a landslide at the site. Two teams comprising a total of 60 NDRF personnel from Wayanad and Kozhikode have been directed to the site. The District Collector is present at the site. I, along with State Minister AP Anil Kumar, am going to the site. Konkan Railways was directed to take necessary action about this earlier, but no action was taken by them. Such things cannot be tolerated because two years ago, 298 people lost their lives in a landslide at Mundakkai,” Kerala Minister T. Siddique says.
- ANI
Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan says an emergency meeting was convened with Agriculture Minister T. Siddique after the landslip.
“Directions have been issued to coordinate rescue operations without delay. Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique have been directed to proceed to Wayanad immediately. I also spoke with the District Collector over the phone,” Mr. Satheesan says.
A mudslide occurred at the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi twin-tunnel road construction site near the Meenakshi Bridge in Kalladi in Wayanad district on Tuesday (July 7, 2026).
Rescue Operations are on and NDRF has been deployed at the location on an emergency basis.
At least two workers have already been rescued and rushed to the hospital, while the search operations are on to determine if more construction workers are trapped inside the debris.
Published - July 07, 2026 12:45 pm IST