Wayanad tunnel landslide: Last missing worker’s body recovered, death toll rises to eight

Authorities recovered the body of construction manager Vikram Rana, the last person missing after the July 7 landslide at the Wayanad tunnel project site. The death toll has risen to eight, ending the multi-agency search operation that lasted five days

Wayanad (Kerala): One more body was recovered during a massive search operation on Sunday following the July 7 landslide at the tunnel project site in Kalladi, Wayanad, and was later confirmed to be that of the construction manager who had gone missing in the tragedy, officials said.

The deceased Vikram Rana (58), a construction manager from Thakoli-Girthan village in the Fatehpur subdivision of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, was associated with the tunnel project.

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The body was found around 350 metres downstream from the Meenakshi bridge, where iron debris had accumulated following the landslide, during a search operation along the river around 11.30 am, officials said.

With the recovery of the body, the death toll in the landslide has risen to eight. Rana was the last person reported missing after the tragedy. “The body was identified by Rana’s relatives and shifted to the Vythiri Taluk Hospital for postmortem examination. It will later be taken to the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital for embalming before being transported to his native place,” the district administration said in a statement.

The landslide occurred on July 7 at the site of the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi twin-tube tunnel project, which is intended to connect Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.

After search operations over the past five days failed to trace Rana, authorities launched a massive operation on Sunday involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Special Operations Group (SOG), Fire and Rescue Services, the Rapid Response Team, Forest Department personnel and youth volunteer organisations.

Earlier in the day, Kerala Agriculture Minister T Siddique said the entire stretch from the landslide site to the downstream reaches of the Meenakshi River had been divided into sectors, with separate teams assigned to search each area. Both riverbanks were being covered.

Siddique said teams also conducted searches in the upper reaches based on assessments of available video footage, including CCTV recordings, and inputs from workers at the site.

He said the NDRF and the police had analysed the footage and identified specific locations for focused searches. On the arrival of an expert team to study the disaster and remove the accumulated earth that caused the landslide, Siddique said it was likely to reach the site soon.

In view of the search operations, traffic restrictions are in place from 8 am to noon on the Meppadi Chooralmala road. Meanwhile, State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar reached the landslide place and reviewed the search operation and ongoing police investigation into the incident.

He also held a meeting with Agriculture Minister Siddique. Police said that after holding discussions with all authorities, a decision on concluding the search operation will be taken. Also, the removal of earth and works to clear the road, which were affected by the landslide, will commence soon, officials added.