NEW DELHI — Rescue teams in southern India’s Kerala state were continuing searches on Friday for people reported missing after a landslide struck a tunnel construction site in Wayanad district, with officials saying the disaster had killed at least six people and left others unaccounted for.
The landslide occurred earlier this week near the Anakkompoyil-Meppadi tunnel project, which is being built to connect areas of Wayanad and Kozhikode districts, according to officials. Heavy monsoon rains contributed to the collapse of debris at the construction site, authorities said.
Rescue operations involving disaster response teams, police personnel, firefighters and other emergency workers were deployed after the incident. Officials said difficult weather conditions and unstable terrain complicated efforts to locate those missing.
Initial reports from authorities said several workers at the site were trapped when accumulated debris gave way. Earlier estimates put the number of missing people higher, but officials later revised figures as rescue teams recovered victims and verified information. Two people were still reported missing after the death toll rose to six, Kerala officials said on Thursday.
Kerala authorities have ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the landslide and temporarily halted work at the tunnel project pending further review, officials said. The state government has also announced compensation measures for the families of those who died, according to local government statements.
The incident occurred during India’s annual monsoon season, when heavy rainfall frequently triggers landslides in mountainous and hilly areas. Wayanad, located in the Western Ghats, has experienced deadly landslides in previous years, including a major disaster in 2024 that killed hundreds of people.
Officials have not yet released a final account of the number of people affected by the latest landslide. Search and rescue operations were continuing, with authorities focused on locating the remaining missing individuals and assessing conditions at the site.
