Wayanad landslip LIVE: At least two workers rescued, several feared trapped; NDRF deployed

Congress MLA I. C. Balakrishnan says, “Rescue operations have been coordinated, and preparations are in place. Connectivity through the bridge needs to be restored. The supervisor said that 18 people had gone out for work today. Of them, 9 are undergoing treatment at Meppadi Medical College. Two bodies have been recovered. There is no information about the remaining seven people.”

- ANI

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi called upon UDF workers “to provide all possible support while strictly following the administration’s guidelines”.

IMD scientist Neetha K. Gopal says, “In past so many days, Wayanad did not get much rainfall. As of today, Wayanad district has a 51% deficiency in rainfall. Since yesterday, the Westerly winds have strengthened and almost all the hilly regions of Kerala,m especially Wayanad, Malappuram, Udukki, Palakkad districts have started getting rainfall. Yesterday night, the rain picked up, and Wayanad received extremely heavy rainfall. The wind is expected to remain strong. We have issued a ‘Red’ alert for Wayanad and Calicut districts today.”

- ANI

Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said that two people have been confirmed dead in the mudslide.

“We have directed all hospitals in Wayanad for the treatment of the labourers who were from outside Kerala. The primary report suggests there were no local people affected in the incident,” he says.

- ANI

Rescue teams are facing severe difficulties as a newly issued IMD alert for heavy rainfall and thick mud continues to impede the deployment of heavy earth-moving equipment.

- The Hindu Bureau

The seven people reported missing following a debris slip at Kalladi near Meppadi in Wayanad on Tuesday include senior officials supervising the construction of the Wayanad tunnel road (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi) project and labourers.

In a statement, Wayanad district administration officials said the nine people rescued from the area affected by the debris slip had been shifted to WIMS Hospital, Meppadi. A relief camp has also been opened at Chulikka Government Lower Primary School, and residents of houses in the affected area are being moved there.

- The Hindu Bureau

Mr. Siddique and Wayanad District Collector Meghashree D.R. are coordinating rescue efforts, working with site officials to cross-reference employment logs and locate the seven missing persons. Rescue teams are facing severe difficulties as a newly issued IMD red alert for very heavy rainfall and thick mud continues to impede the deployment of heavy earth-moving equipment.

- The Hindu Bureau

While early reports classified the event as a natural landslide, State Minister for Agriculture T. Siddique issued a sharp statement holding project officials responsible. Speaking from the ground, the Minister declared the incident a “man-made landslide” caused by the unscientific dumping of excavated earth and mud by Konkan construction officials, noting that earlier safety warnings raised in meetings had been entirely ignored.

The KSDMA clarified that while actual tunnel construction had been suspended since Monday due to extreme weather, the affected labourers were moving around the site when the massive mound of discarded soil came crashing down.

- The Hindu Bureau

A day after the extreme rainfall struck, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Wayanad and Kozhikode, warning of extremely heavy rainfall on Tuesday, while an orange alert has been issued for Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod, where intense heavy rainfall is expected during the next 24 hours.

A yellow alert has also been issued for Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Idukki districts, warning of isolated heavy rains in the next 24 hours. The depression over the Bay of Bengal triggers heavy rainfall across the State, especially in northern Kerala and the West Coast of the country. A yellow alert was in place in Wayanad on Monday. However, around 265 mm of rain lashed the region during the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday, which is classified as extremely heavy rainfall by the IMD.

- The Hindu Bureau

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.

Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan says at least one person died and seven others were missing following the mudslide. He says seven more people have been hospitalised.

- The Hindu Bureau

“The rescue operation has already started. A team of 30 NDRF personnel has reached there. We are collecting information about the tragedy and then declare everything,” Kerala Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar says.

A major rescue operation is underway at Kalladi near Meppadi in Wayanad following a massive mudslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains near the entrance of the under-construction Wayanad tunnel road (Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi) project linking Kozhikode to Wayanad on Tuesday (July 7, 2026).

The incident occurred near the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi. Officials said rescue operations were underway. At least five people have been pulled alive from the debris and shifted to a hospital. The rescues took place near the temporary quarters used by the tunnel project’s labourers. Work on the tunnel road had already been suspended after the authorities issued a stop memo in view of the heavy monsoon rains.

Mudslide hits Wayanad tunnel road project site; rescue operation on

A mudslip at Wayanad's tunnel road project site triggers a major rescue operation amid fears of trapped workers.

Five people are injured after rubble from the Wayanad-Kalladi tunnel construction site slides down due to heavy rains in the area. The injured are admitted to a local hospital. There is no casualty in the incident, reports ANI citing the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).

- ANI

“It is not a natural landslide, but a man-made landslide. It is a clear case of lapse. Six people are seriously injured, and they are admitted to the hospital. Their condition is stable. We will continue search and rescue at the site in Kalladi. The District Collector had given in writing to Konkan Railways regarding the chance of a landslide at the site. Two teams comprising a total of 60 NDRF personnel from Wayanad and Kozhikode have been directed to the site. The District Collector is present at the site. I, along with State Minister AP Anil Kumar, am going to the site. Konkan Railways was directed to take necessary action about this earlier, but no action was taken by them. Such things cannot be tolerated because two years ago, 298 people lost their lives in a landslide at Mundakkai,” Kerala Minister T. Siddique says.

- ANI

Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan says an emergency meeting was convened with Agriculture Minister T. Siddique after the landslip.

“Directions have been issued to coordinate rescue operations without delay. Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique have been directed to proceed to Wayanad immediately. I also spoke with the District Collector over the phone,” Mr. Satheesan says.