Meppadi Landslide: Ministers Leave for Wayanad by Helicopter

Kalpetta: Three deaths have been confirmed so far in the landslide at the Kalladi tunnel construction site in Meppadi. Of the 18 people caught in the disaster, nine have been admitted with injuries to Meppadi WIMS Hospital. Search operations are under way for seven missing persons, led by multiple security forces. A coordination meeting chaired by the local MLA was held at Kalladi to oversee rescue efforts.

Ministers A P Anil Kumar and T Siddique left Thiruvananthapuram by helicopter for the disaster area.

Those caught in the landslide were project workers, security staff and supervisory personnel at the site. The slide hit the Meenakshi bridge near the Kalladi-Anakkampoyil tunnel construction site. Traffic on the Meppadi-Chooralmaala road has been completely disrupted. Work to clear the mud from the Meenakshi bridge is progressing, and the State Police's sniffer dog units have been deployed to locate those still trapped.

Facilities have been set up at Mundakkai Forest Station and Chooralmaala to shelter residents stranded on either side of the bridge. Steps have also been taken to move schoolchildren to safety. The district administration had already directed that tunnel construction work be halted due to rain, so no construction was under way at the time of the incident. Residents of Eerattikund, Attamala, Mammikkunnu and Ambedkar Unnatiyil are also being moved to safer locations. The Public Works Department has been directed to assess the structural safety of the Meenakshi bridge once the mud is cleared.