Wayanad, 12 July (H.S.):The body of the last missing worker was recovered from the landslip site at Kalladi in Wayanad on Sunday, bringing to a close a six-day-long search operation and taking the death toll in the tragedy to eight.
The deceased was identified as Vikram Rana, a native of Himachal Pradesh and the construction site manager of Dilip Buildcon Ltd, the company executing the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi twin-tunnel road project. Rana had been missing since the massive landslip struck the construction site on July 7, trapping workers and burying heavy machinery beneath tonnes of mud and debris.
Officials said the recovery of Rana's body marked the end of the intensive search-and-rescue mission, as he was the last person reported missing after the disaster. His body was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, where a postmortem examination will be conducted on Monday before it is handed over to his family.
State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandra Sekhar visited the disaster site on Sunday to assess the rescue operation and interacted with officials coordinating the mission. He also met Rana's grieving family members and conveyed his condolences. Senior police, revenue and disaster management officials briefed him on the sequence of events and the challenges encountered during the operation.
The landslip occurred at the construction site of the ambitious Anakkampoyil–Kalladi twin-tunnel project, a major infrastructure initiative aimed at improving connectivity between Kozhikode and Wayanad. The sudden collapse of a large section of the hillside engulfed workers, vehicles and construction equipment, triggering one of the worst industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
Three workers died in the initial landslip, while five others were reported missing. Nine workers who sustained injuries were rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The search operation, coordinated by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, involved more than 100 personnel drawn from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, the police and trained volunteer rescue teams. Heavy earth-moving machinery, excavators and specialised equipment were deployed to remove vast quantities of mud and rocks.
Rescue teams battled difficult terrain, intermittent rain and unstable soil conditions throughout the operation. Thick layers of slush and construction debris significantly slowed the search, forcing rescuers to proceed with extreme caution to prevent further collapses.
With the recovery of the final missing worker, authorities formally called off the rescue operation, bringing an end to a week of anxious waiting for the victims' families and rescue personnel.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
