Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Agriculture Minister T Siddique said the landslide at Kalladi in Wayanad was not a natural disaster but a human-made incident caused by unscientific dumping of soil during tunnel construction work.

Speaking to the media, the minister said both he and the Revenue Minister were heading to Wayanad, where rescue operations were progressing on a war footing.

Government had raised concerns earlier

The minister alleged that the soil dumping carried out as part of the tunnel construction project was unscientific and said the state government had raised concerns over the issue during earlier meetings with Konkan Railway authorities.

He added that the government would treat the lapses that led to the disaster with utmost seriousness and take appropriate action.

Six injured, receiving treatment

Siddique confirmed that six people were undergoing treatment at MIMS Hospital. He said all the injured were receiving proper medical care.

Rescue operations underway

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stationed in Kozhikode and Wayanad have reached the accident site. The District Collector is also at the location, while Kerala State Disaster Management Authority Chairman Shekhar Kuriakose is coordinating the rescue efforts.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel are continuing search and inspection operations in the affected area.

The major landslide occurred at the Wayanad-side entrance of the Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi tunnel road project, a flagship infrastructure initiative aimed at improving connectivity between Wayanad and Kozhikode. The incident took place near the Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi after the region experienced 47 hours of continuous heavy rainfall.