Daijiworld Media Network – Wayanad
Wayanad, Jul 8: Search operations continued on Wednesday for five people missing after a landslide at a tunnel road construction site in Kerala's Wayanad district claimed three lives, even as heavy rain hampered rescue efforts.
Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, police and cadaver dog squads are carrying out the search after dividing the affected area into four zones.
Police have registered an unnatural death case and launched an investigation into the incident.
Wayanad Superintendent of Police Devamanohar said rescue teams were also searching downstream areas, while the road leading to Chooralmala had been cleared. However, a large quantity of mud remains at the site and can only be removed after the search operation is completed.
The incident has also sparked a debate over whether the landslide was a natural calamity or the result of human negligence.
On Tuesday, the Kerala government termed the incident a "man-made disaster", alleging that mud accumulated at the construction site had not been removed despite directions issued by the district administration and Public Works Department Minister P K Basheer.
However, the construction company rejected the allegation, maintaining that the landslide originated well above the work site and outside the land allotted for the project. It also claimed that the mud accumulated within the construction area was not responsible for the disaster.
When asked about the company's claims, Wayanad District Collector Meghashree D R declined to comment.
An official associated with the rescue operation said the landslide had indeed occurred above the construction site, but added that accumulated mud in the work area had intensified the impact of the mudslide. He also noted that continuous rainfall was making search and rescue operations increasingly difficult.
The three deceased have been identified as migrant workers Chandraban, an equipment operator from Madhya Pradesh, Bikash Kumar, a civil foreman from Bihar, and Anmol, a worker from Jharkhand.
Seven injured persons were undergoing treatment at Meppadi WIMS Hospital as of Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan is expected to visit the affected area on Wednesday as rescue teams continue efforts to trace the five missing workers.