Thiruvananthapuram
oi-Prakash KL
Two days after the landslide at the Wayanad-Kozhikode tunnel construction site, the authorities have retrived the body of another person, taking the death toll to four.
“One more body was recovered from the Wayanad landslide site, bringing the total number of persons killed in the disaster to four,” Kerala Minister A P Anilkumar told reporters. The body was found in Zone 1 and its identity is yet to be established. It has been shifted to an ambulance for further procedures.
Authorities retrieved a fourth body two days after the Wayanad-Kozhikode tunnel construction landslide, bringing the official death toll to four following the ongoing search operation.
The minister stated that the body was recovered from zone 1 of the search area in the morning. “Searches will be carried out in zone 1 and 2 of the area. Will be focusing search operations near the river also,” he added.
The operations to rescue missing has entered third day amid continuous rainfall in the region. Latest visuals from the incident site shows the force personnel and NDRF teams engaged in the rescue operation.
The landslide struck at around 11:15 am at at Kalladi near Meppady on Tuesday within a 200-metre radius of the tunnel construction site. Thus burying large portions of the worksite under debris estimated to be 7 to 10 feet deep.
According to PTI, the deceased were identified as Chandraban, an operator from Madhya Pradesh, Bikash Kumar, a civil foreman from Bihar and Anmol, a worker from Jharkhand. The post-mortem procedure was completed at Vythiri Taluk Hospital.
VIDEO | Wayanad landslide: One more body recovered, death toll rises to 4. Rescue operations continue.#WayanadLandslide #KeralaNews
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/uoZy4DIsIn
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 9, 2026
Nine injured persons were taken to Meppadi WIMS Hospital out of which two have were discharged by Wednesday, while seven remain under treatment.
A site engineer from Ernakulam was the only Malayali among those hospitalised.
Meanwhile, three bodies of victims from the Wayanad Kalladi landslide were handed over at the Government Medical College Hospital after the required formalities were completed. The bodies were then placed in ambulances and transported to Cochin International Airport, for onward transfer.
A dramatic video showing a massive landslide crashing down a hillside in Kerala’s Wayanad district has gone viral on social media, capturing the terrifying moments as tonnes of mud and debris swept across the area amid heavy rain.
#WATCH | Keralams Wayanad landslide | Another body retrieved from the debris during the ongoing search and rescue operation. pic.twitter.com/Yxc8fC43Wi
— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2026
The landslide occurred at a section where tunnel work connecting Wayanad and Malappuram districts is under way. The incident has once again raised questions over construction activities in ecologically sensitive regions, particularly during the monsoon.
Speaking to reporters, Kerala Minister T. Siddique alleged that the collapse was not a natural disaster but a man-made disaster as the mud accumulated at the construction site had not been removed despite directions from the district administration and Public Works Department Minister P K Basheer.
With inputs from agencies
