Meppadi landslide: Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks to Kerala CM over phone

Meppadi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday over phone in the wake of the Meppadi disaster in Wayanad.

The Union Home Minister enquired about the situation and assured the Chief Minister of the Centre's full support for the ongoing relief and response efforts. He also expressed satisfaction with the measures taken by the Kerala government so far.

Amit Shah urged the Chief Minister to order a high-level probe into the incident. The Chief Minister informed him that the state Cabinet, which met earlier in the day, had already decided to initiate an investigation into the disaster.

Meanwhile, the Kerala government announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to the families of those killed in the landslide at the tunnel construction site near Kalladi in Meppadi Grama Panchayat, where rescue teams continue searching for five missing workers.

The landslide struck the construction site at around 11.15 am on Tuesday. Three workers were killed, while five others remain unaccounted for.