The death toll from the massive landslide at the Anakkompoyil-Meppadi tunnel project in Wayanad district, Kerala, has risen to six after three more bodies were recovered on Thursday. The landslide struck on July 7 at the construction site of the tunnel project, which aims to improve connectivity between Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.
Victims Identified
Officials identified the deceased as three migrant workers: surveyor Azharuddin Ansari from Uttar Pradesh, engineer Rahul Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, and excavator operator Mohammed Imran from Bihar. The bodies were recovered during ongoing search operations.
Search Operations Continue
Kerala ministers AP Anil Kumar and T Siddique informed the media that one body was recovered from zone 1 of the search area, while another was found in the nearby river. "Searches will be carried out in zone 1 and 2 of the area. Will be focusing search operations near the river also," Kumar said. With the latest recoveries, two people remain missing, and search operations are continuing.
Political Controversy Erupts
Meanwhile, the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] on Thursday accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala of politicising the tragedy instead of focusing on rescue work. In a sharply worded editorial in its mouthpiece Deshabhimani, the party said contradictory statements by ministers and officials had created confusion, weakened public confidence and exposed serious administrative lapses.
The party alleged that, rather than prioritising rescue and rehabilitation, the government was "attempting to convert" the disaster into a political controversy while avoiding responsibility. "Kerala had built nationally and internationally recognised models for disaster response during earlier calamities, but the (UDF) government had failed to follow that approach in this case," the editorial read.
Contradictory Statements
The editorial also pointed to differing statements by ministers on the cause of the disaster. According to it, Wayanad in-charge Minister T Siddique had initially described the incident as a "man-made disaster", saying it was caused by scientifically improper dumping of excavated soil and not by a natural landslide. However, Revenue Minister AP Anil Kumar later said it was a landslide that had triggered the disaster, contradicting the earlier stand. The editorial added that Chief Minister VD Satheesan later revised his position as well.
