Wayanad mudslide: CM Satheesan holds emergency meeting; Agriculture Minister terms it man-made disaster

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.

As part of the rescue efforts, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) unit from Meenangadi will reach the site soon. The Chief Minister also directed the NDRF team stationed in Kozhikode to proceed to Wayanad. He further spoke to the Wayanad District Collector over the phone to assess the situation. He will visit the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) office soon as part of coordinating the rescue works. 

Also Read: Wayanad mudslide LIVE updates

According to the KSDMA, the incident occurred at the Wayanad–Kalladi tunnel face work site, where debris accumulated during excavation for the tunnel road project slid down amid heavy rainfall, blocking roads. Preliminary reports said five people were injured after being struck by the debris and were admitted to the hospital. No fatalities have been reported so far. The KSDMA said the region received extremely heavy rainfall of 265 mm in the past 24 hours.

Work at the site had been suspended since Monday (July 6, 2026) due to the heavy rain. However, people moving around the site were caught in the mudslide. According to Mr. Siddique, the accident was caused by unscientifically stacked excavated soil. He alleged that the contractor’s failure to remove the accumulated soil on time led to the incident. This can only be termed a man-made disaster, he told the media on Tuesday (July 7, 2026).