Kerala: Three killed, several injured in landslide in Wayanad
While rescue teams rescued a few people, a few others were still trapped in the rubble as of press time. A landslide occurred near the Meenakshi Bridge in the Kalladi-Anakkampoil tunnel project site, burying the workers, security personnel and supervisory personnel involved in the project.
Chief Minister VD Satheesan said he was personally monitoring the situation and sent two ministers to the region to supervise rescue operations.
Agriculture Minister T Siddique said that this was not a natural landslide but a man-made landslide. 6 seriously injured people were taken to hospital. It was stated that the regional administration will continue search and rescue in the region.
The minister added that the district administration had warned the Konkan Railways about the possibility of landslides in the region. Two teams of 60 NDRF personnel from Wayanad and Kozhikode were deployed in the field. The Minister said, “Konkan Railways was asked to take action earlier but did not take any precautions. Such things cannot be tolerated. Because 298 people lost their lives in a landslide in Mundakkai two years ago.”
Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra said that all efforts are on to save those trapped in the landslide. The Prime Minister was personally monitoring the relief efforts, the police and NDRF were in the region for a while, SDRF teams and civil defense volunteers also reached the region.
He appealed to UDF employees and the public to provide all possible support while strictly following the administration’s guidelines. “At a time like this, we must ensure that relief and rescue efforts are not hindered and we provide all possible assistance without distraction.”
