Rescuers search for 5 missing after deadly landslide in India’s Kerala state
8 reported1 conflicting
Rescue teams in the southern Indian state of Kerala are searching for five people still missing a day after heavy monsoon rains caused a deadly landslide, officials said. The landslide killed at least three people working near a tunnel construction site in Wayanad district. Seven workers were also injured and are undergoing treatment in a hospital. Authorities divided the area into zones as rescue crews, including disaster response teams and sniffer dogs, searched despite heavy rain hampering operations, local police official Devamanohar told reporters. A video clip showed a huge mound of mud giving way in heavy rain, uprooting trees and sweeping away barricades around the tunnel construction site. Kerala’s agriculture minister T. Siddique told reporters it was "not a natural landslide but a man-made one caused by the unscientific dumping of earth," alleging that construction debris was not cleared despite official warnings. The construction company has denied responsibility, saying the landslide originated far above the work site, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
What’s reported
Rescue teams are searching for five missing people a day after a deadly landslide in Kerala, India.
The landslide killed at least three people working near a tunnel construction site in Wayanad district.
Seven workers were injured and are undergoing treatment in a hospital.
Heavy rain hampered rescue operations, which included disaster response teams and sniffer dogs.
A video clip showed a huge mound of mud giving way, uprooting trees and sweeping away barricades.
Kerala agriculture minister T. Siddique called the landslide man-made, citing unscientific dumping of earth and uncleared construction debris despite warnings.
The construction company denied responsibility, stating the landslide originated far above the work site.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
Conflicting accounts
The article reports conflicting accounts: Kerala agriculture minister T. Siddique stated the landslide was man-made due to unscientific dumping of earth, while the construction company denied responsibility, saying the landslide originated far above the work site.
Key figures
Devamanohar, local police official
T. Siddique, Kerala’s agriculture minister
Press Trust of India news agency (source of comments)
Sources: abcnews.com
