Meppadi (Wayanad): The death toll in the landslide at the Kalladi tunnel construction site in Wayanad rose to 7 on Thursday after rescue teams recovered four more bodies during search operations.

The bodies identified were those of site engineer Rahul Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, excavator operator Mohammed Imran from Bihar, and surveyor Azharuddin Ansari from Uttar Pradesh. One more body has been recovered but is yet to be identified.

Earlier, the bodies of Chandrabhan Pal from Madhya Pradesh, Bikas Kumar Singh from Bihar, and Anmol Dodrai from Jharkhand had been recovered.

Construction manager Vikram Rana and surveyor Rakesh Guchhait had remained missing. Officials suspect that the unidentified body recovered later may be one of the two, but its identity has not yet been confirmed.

During the morning search, the bodies of Mohammed Imran and Rahul Sharma were recovered from Zone 1 of the disaster site. Later, rescue teams found Azharuddin Ansari's body in Zone 3, near the river. Ansari, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was employed as a surveyor at the project.

Search operations have now intensified along the river flowing through the disaster zone. The removal of a bus and other vehicle debris that had fallen into the river has lowered the water level and improved visibility, making the search easier.

Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with the Fire and Rescue Services, police, Civil Defence personnel and volunteers, are carrying out joint operation. Cadaver dogs are also being deployed in the search. Authorities said the weather is currently favourable for rescue efforts.