New Delhi.- Authorities in southern India ordered a halt to tunnel construction on Wednesday and launched an investigation into whether a landslide that left at least three dead and five missing could have been prevented, after the regional government reported that the contractor ignored previous warnings regarding the management of excavated soil.
“Yesterday we recovered 3 bodies and 9 people were taken to the hospital (…) Of them, 3 people are in the ICU. Today, the goal will be to find the 5 missing people. Therefore, we are continuing with the search and rescue operations,” the Wayanad district administration chief, Meghashree DR, told the media.
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The landslide occurred on Tuesday in the mountainous district of Wayanad, in the state of Kerala, where monsoon rains buried the temporary housing of several workers who were working on a road project intended to improve the connection to the coast.
Rescue teams continued the search for the missing today under heavy rain, while the disaster management authority maintained an orange alert for bad weather in several districts of the state.
The Government of Kerala assured that it will completely halt the works and open a high-level investigation, after describing the accident as “a 100% man-made disaster,” said the region’s Health Minister, K. Muraleedharan.
“An order was issued for the removal of all the soil accumulated at the site last month, but the contractors did not take any action. The Minister of Public Works and other officials visited the site and even warned the parties involved about the potential for a disaster,” said the Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, VD Satheesan.
For its part, the construction company responsible stated in a press release picked up by the media that the project was carried out following engineering standards, environmental regulations, and safety protocols approved by the regional government.
“Given its location in an ecologically sensitive region, the project is subject to extensive regulatory oversight (…) The margin for technical error is minimal,” he/she indicated.
Wayanad was already the scene in July 2024 of one of Kerala’s worst recent disasters, when a series of landslides left hundreds dead and missing and opened a debate about occupation and construction in high-risk areas.
