Wayanad, Kerala: A body suspected to be that of the last person missing after the landslide at the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel project site in Wayanad was recovered during a massive search operation on Sunday (July 12), officials said.

The body is believed to be that of Bikram Rana (58), a construction manager from Thakoli-Girthan village in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, who had been reported missing since the landslide. However, police said the identity will be confirmed only after completing the required procedures.

The body was recovered at around 11.30 am from the Meenachil River, nearly 350 metres downstream from the Meenakshi bridge. It will be shifted to a government hospital for post-mortem examination.

If the identity is confirmed, the death toll in the landslide will rise to eight. Rana was the last person unaccounted for after the tragedy.

Massive multi-agency operation launched

The landslide struck the under-construction Anakkampoyil-Meppadi twin-tunnel road project on July 7 near Meenakshi bridge at Kalladi in Meppadi. The project is intended to improve connectivity between Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.

Construction workers, security personnel and supervisory staff engaged at the project site were among those caught in the landslide. Five people were initially reported missing.

After search operations over the past five days failed to locate Rana, authorities launched an extensive operation on Sunday involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Special Operations Group (SOG), Fire and Rescue Services, Rapid Response Team, Forest Department personnel and youth volunteer organisations.

Kerala Agriculture Minister T Siddique said the entire stretch from the landslide site to the downstream reaches of the Meenachil River had been divided into sectors, with separate teams assigned to search each area. Both riverbanks were covered during the operation.

He said search teams also examined the upper reaches of the river based on CCTV footage, other video evidence and inputs from workers at the project site. The NDRF and police analysed the footage to identify locations requiring focused searches.

Probe ordered into cause of landslide

Meanwhile, State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar visited the landslide site on Sunday to review the search operation and the ongoing police investigation. He also held discussions with Minister T Siddique.

Police said a decision on formally concluding the search operation would be taken after consultations with all agencies involved.

Officials also said work to remove the accumulated earth and restore the affected stretch of the Meppadi-Chooralmala road would begin soon. Traffic restrictions remain in force on the road between 8 am and noon to facilitate rescue operations.

Separately, the Kerala government has constituted a five-member committee to investigate the cause of the landslide.

The panel has been tasked with determining the factors that led to the disaster, examining whether the contractor complied with the terms of the construction agreement, and reviewing the environmental clearances granted for the project by the state and central governments.

The panel has been given one month to submit its report.