At least one person died and seven others were injured after a landslide struck Kerala's Wayanad district on Tuesday. The incident took place at Kalladi near Meppady, where work was underway on a tunnel road project connecting Malappuram and Wayanad districts. Fire and Rescue Services officials said rescue teams rushed to the site soon after the landslide.

Wayanad Landslide Hits Tunnel Project Site

According to officials involved in the rescue operation, the landslide occurred near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi. Workers associated with the tunnel road project were staying near the affected area when the landslide struck.

Local residents quickly responded and rescued at least three people before emergency teams arrived. Officials also said several vehicles used to transport tunnel project workers were damaged in the incident. Police, Fire and Rescue Services and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel are carrying out search and rescue operations at the site.

Kerala Chief Minister Orders Emergency Response

Following the incident, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheeshan held an emergency meeting with Wayanad Minister T. Siddique. The Chief Minister directed Siddique to oversee and coordinate the rescue operation on the ground.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office, Revenue Minister AP Anil Kumar has also been instructed to travel to Wayanad immediately along with Siddique to monitor the situation.

Minister Calls Wayanad Landslide 'Man-Made'

Agriculture Minister T. Siddique claimed the landslide was caused by poor handling of excavated soil during the tunnel construction project. He said the disaster could have been prevented if authorities had acted on earlier warnings.

"This is not a natural landslide. It is a man-made landslide. It happened due to the unscientific dumping of excavated earth," he said. The minister also alleged that officials had previously raised concerns about the dumping of soil during meetings related to the project but no corrective action was taken.

"It's a disaster perpetuated by unscientific dumping of soil and mud as part of the tunnel project. There were indications of such actions and they were raised at meetings of the Konkan officials. But it seems no corrective steps were taken. Six people have been hospitalised so far. NDRF teams from Kozhikode and Wayanad are enroute. Efforts are on to search for trapped people and coordinate rescue operations," Siddique added.

Rescue Teams Continue Search for Trapped Workers

Authorities fear more workers could still be trapped under the debris. NDRF teams from Kozhikode and Wayanad have joined the rescue effort along with police and fire personnel. Rescue teams continue searching the affected area as officials monitor the situation closely and assess the full extent of the damage.