At least five people have been killed and four others remain missing after a massive landslide triggered by days of torrential rain buried a tunnel construction site and nearby homes in India’s southern state of Kerala.
The disaster struck on Monday in Wayanad district after continuous heavy rainfall caused a hillside to collapse, sending huge volumes of mud and rocks crashing onto the Kozhikode–Wayanad twin tunnel construction project. Ten other people were injured in the incident.
Dramatic videos circulating on social media captured the terrifying moment the mountainside gave way. In the footage, onlookers sheltering under umbrellas watched as the ground suddenly collapsed, sending a torrent of mud downhill that swept away several vehicles, including a fuel tanker. The tanker plunged nearly 30 metres down a steep slope before coming to a stop just metres away from three people who had fallen to the ground, narrowly escaping death.
According to local reports, authorities had already warned the contractor to suspend construction weeks before the tragedy. The incident has raised serious questions over whether safety warnings were ignored, potentially worsening the impact of the disaster.
Investigations revealed that Wayanad District Collector Meghashree D R had issued an official notice to the contractor on June 20, ordering work to be halted until large amounts of excavated earth from the tunnel project had been cleared from the site to reduce safety risks.
However, the construction company is believed to have continued excavation work despite the directive. Officials suspect the combination of ongoing excavation and relentless rainfall weakened the hillside, eventually triggering the deadly landslide.
The landslide also destroyed a nearby church and a residential house. Fortunately, the homeowner was away on a pilgrimage to Mecca at the time, while no worshippers were inside the church, preventing further loss of life.
Search and rescue operations remain underway as emergency teams race against time to locate the missing victims. However, rescue efforts have been severely hampered after a key bridge leading into the disaster zone was buried beneath mud and debris, preventing heavy machinery and emergency vehicles from reaching the hardest-hit area.
Images from the scene show roads buried under thick layers of mud, collapsed buildings and widespread destruction. Rescue personnel continue searching through unstable terrain amid persistent rain, with authorities warning that conditions remain extremely dangerous.
