A landslide triggered by heavy rains struck a tunnel construction site near Meppady in Kerala’s Wayanad district, killing at least three people and many others are believed to be buried beneath the mud and earth, the first reports say. The landslide occurred as monsoon rains continued to pour down on large parts of Kerala over the last few days. A huge section of a hillside collapsed, sending tons of mud, rocks and debris crashing down onto the tunnel construction site, the first reports say. Workers at the site had little time to react.
The site’s CCTV footage of the landslide shows the horror when a massive cloud of dust and debris enveloped parts of the construction site in seconds.
Three people died during the incident. Six people were already pulled out from the rubble, and the rescue teams rushed them to nearby hospitals for help, the officials said. One or two of the rescued workers were injured, and medical experts are still assessing their status.
There are fears that there may be more workers still trapped under the rubble, officials say. Search and rescue efforts continued throughout the day, with search and rescue teams from the police, fire and rescue services, district administration and disaster response teams working all day to find all the missing people.
At the same time, heavy machinery, excavators, and sophisticated rescue equipment have been put in place to sweep debris away and access areas where workers may be trapped. But torrential rain and unstable ground conditions have made rescue operations very difficult in recent months.
Wayanad, a hilly area known for its lush green areas and mountains, is particularly susceptible to landslide danger in the monsoon season. There have been several big landslide incidents in recent years, and monitoring and disaster preparedness measures in high-risk areas have been repeatedly identified as needing to be implemented.
Absolutely terrifying CCTV visuals of Wayanad Landslide 😱
— Chennai Weatherman (@chennaisweather) July 7, 2026
Look at the big tanker truck getting thrown off and people standing near that narrowly escaping.#wayanad #landslide #exclusive pic.twitter.com/eGyeBAzS8y
Residents were anxious to know how people were still alive as rescue operations converged on the location and waited for news of missing people. Families of the workers have also come looking for news of their loved ones.
Kerala disaster management authorities are closely watching the situation. Residents of landslide-prone areas have been told to be alert and to keep safe, officials said. Heavy rains are expected to continue in some parts of Kerala, and landslides and flooding are likely to happen more and more with heavy rainfall forecasts.
Hence, prolonged rainfall will have a weakening effect on soil stability in mountainous areas and can lead to slope failures. The construction industry has also been under pressure to adhere to safety codes in environmentally sensitive areas, which are the most dangerous.
When rescue operations are in progress, authorities will want to find those people who are probably trapped and provide the most effective assistance to those families suffering on the ground. The investigation of the cause of the landslide and whether safety measures were indeed adequate on site will be completed once the emergency is over.
The tragedy serves as a stark reminder that the monsoon season is dangerous and that disaster preparedness is very important in vulnerable places.
