Wayanad, Kerala Tunnel Landslide Kills Multiple, Search Ongoing

A massive landslide struck the under‑construction Anakkampoyil‑Kalladi‑Meppadi twin‑tunnel road project in Wayanad district, Kerala, on July 7‑9 2026. Exceptionally heavy monsoon rainfall – about 265 mm in 24 hours, nine to ten times the July average – triggered a collapse of excavated earth near the Meenakshi Bridge, burying workers, machinery and vehicles.

Initial reports listed three deaths; subsequent updates raised the confirmed death toll to five, with six to ten injured and three to seven people still missing. Rescue operations involve the National Disaster Response Force, Kerala fire and rescue services, police, district administration and local volunteers, who are contending with ongoing rain and unstable terrain.

Contractor Dilip Buildcon Ltd. said the disaster was due solely to the rainfall and that it was complying with all safety and environmental approvals, while Kerala ministers labelled the incident a “man‑made disaster” and accused the contractor of ignoring directives to remove piled‑up soil. Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan and Minister T. Siddique have overseen rescue efforts and ordered investigations. The state’s meteorological department had issued a red‑alert for Wayanad and neighboring Kozhikode ahead of the landslide.

The incident has highlighted the vulnerability of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats region to extreme weather and to construction practices that leave large volumes of earth on slopes.