Wayanad tunnel landslide: Missing project manager's body found, toll rises to 8
The death toll in the July 7 landslide at a tunnel project site in Kerala's Wayanad district rose to eight on Sunday after rescuers recovered
The death toll in the July 7 landslide at a tunnel project site in Kerala's Wayanad district rose to eight on Sunday after rescuers recovered the body of the last person reported missing, officials said. The body was identified as that of construction manager Vikram Rana, who had been missing since the landslide struck the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi twin-tube tunnel project, which is being built to connect Wayanad and Kozhikode districts. Read Full Story Officials said Rana, 58, was a resident of Thakoli-Girthan village in the Fatehpur subdivision of Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district and was associated with the tunnel project. His body was recovered at around 11.30 am during a search along the river, about 350 metres downstream from the Meenakshi bridge, where iron debris had accumulated following the landslide.
"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. After five days of unsuccessful search efforts, authorities launched an intensified operation on Sunday involving the Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Special Operations Group, Fire and Rescue Services, 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 deployed to each area.
Search teams combed both riverbanks as well as the upper reaches based on assessments of CCTV footage and inputs from workers at the site. Siddique said the NDRF and the police had analysed the available footage to identify specific locations for focused searches. He also said an expert team tasked with studying the disaster and removing the accumulated earth that triggered the landslide was expected to arrive at the site soon. Traffic restrictions were imposed from 8 am to noon on the Meppadi-Chooralmala road to facilitate the search operation. State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar visited the site, reviewed the rescue efforts and the ongoing police investigation, and held a meeting with Agriculture Minister Siddique.
Police said a decision on formally concluding the search operation would be taken after consultations with all agencies involved. Officials added that work to remove the accumulated earth and clear the landslide-affected road would begin shortly. With Rana's body recovered, authorities have traced all those reported missing in the landslide, bringing the search operation for missing persons to a close. Ends
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