Overview
- The landslide struck the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi tunnel site on Tuesday, July 7, when a large mound of rain‑soaked excavated soil collapsed and buried workers, vehicles and temporary camps.
- Rescue teams from the NDRF, SDRF, police, fire services and civil defence using sniffer dogs and heavy machinery continue searches that are being slowed by persistent monsoon rain and unstable slopes.
- Kerala officials say the collapse was caused by unscientific stacking of excavated spoil and that a June 20 government order to remove the material was not followed, prompting the state to suspend tunnel work and register investigations.
- The main contractor has contested parts of the government account, saying the slope failure began above engineered works in a forested area, while authorities have opened techno‑legal and multi‑agency probes and registered an unnatural death case.
- The incident raises fresh scrutiny of the Rs 2,134 crore twin‑tunnel project in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, spotlights risks to migrant labourers and could prompt stricter enforcement of environmental clearance and construction safety conditions.