Rescue mission enters final phase in Wayanad; three more bodies recovered

The intensive search and rescue operations at Kalladi in Wayanad’s Meppadi panchayat entered its final phase on Thursday evening, following the recovery of three more bodies. Despite torrential rain and a heavy influx of debris, rescue teams pushed through the adverse weather on the third day of the challenging mission, bringing the confirmed death toll from Tuesday’s disaster to six.

According to officials supervising the operations under the State government and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the mission is nearing completion, with only two people still reported missing. Fire and Rescue Services personnel said they would intensify searches in the Meenakshi river to trace them.

Two of the three victims recovered on Thursday have been identified as Rahul Sharma, an engineer from Himachal Pradesh, and Mohammad Imran, an excavator operator from Bihar. Following post-mortem examinations at the Vythiri taluk hospital, their bodies were shifted to the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital for embalming prior to repatriation.

Meanwhile, seven injured workers remain hospitalised, with several under observation in the intensive care unit.

The disaster unfolded near the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi on July 7, where continuous rainfall reportedly triggered a subterranean erosion creating hollow underground cavities.

Revenue department sources said the sub-terrain erosion caused a massive collapse of earth at the construction site of the Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi twin-tube tunnel road under construction. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Fire and Rescue Services, and local teams continued to scour the mudflow in search of the remaining one and to address the concerns of the evacuated local residents.

After visiting the site to review rescue efforts, Minister for Public Works (PWD) P.K. Basheer said the rescue squads encountered a challenging situation as the continuous rains hindered the debris clearance at the site. Experts had already warned of secondary land slips if large-scale removal was carried out fast, he said, adding that only the safest measures would be adopted at the risky site.

Mr. Basheer also clarified that the firm behind the tunnel road construction had been asked to remove the excavated earth as recently as July 1 but it dismissed the warnings.

The police have registered a case of unnatural death, and the State Cabinet has ordered two independent high-level inquiries into safety and environmental violations, he said.

Centre’s support

Additionally, Mr. Basheer announced the Centre’s assurance on possible financial assistance for the construction of the Bairakuppa bridge, with the foundation stone expected to be laid this November. A joint departmental meeting would be convened to expedite the pending survey for the Poozhithode-Padinjarathara alternative route, he said.

Agriculture Minister T. Siddique who camped at the spot to coordinate the rescue efforts made it clear that the residents of the nearby Chooralmala region would not face transit or connectivity issues. Wayanad District Collector has been directed to list local families to streamline the distribution of special food rations and uninterrupted medical care. Debris piled along roadsides will also be systematically removed, he said.