Search operations entered the second day on Wednesday for five people missing after a landslide at a tunnel road construction site in Kerala's Wayanad district claimed three lives, while police registered a case of unnatural death and launched an investigation into the incident.
Wayanad Superintendent of Police Devamanohar said a case of unnatural death has been registered in connection with the landslide and an investigation is underway.
He said cadaver dogs, Fire and Rescue Services personnel and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed for the search operation. The affected area has been divided into four sectors, while downstream stretches of the river are also being searched.
The road leading to Chooralmala has been cleared, but large quantities of mud still need to be removed from the landslide site, which can be undertaken only after the search operation is completed, he said.
The State government on Tuesday described the incident as a "man-made disaster", alleging that mud accumulated at the construction site had not been cleared despite directions from the district administration and Public Works Department Minister P K Basheer.
The general manager of the construction company rejected the allegation, claiming the landslide occurred well above the work site.
He said that it did not happen on the land given to the company for the construction and the mud accumulated there was not the reason for the disaster.
Asked about the company's response, Wayanad District Collector Meghashree D R declined to comment.
Meanwhile, an official associated with the rescue operation said that while the landslide originated above the construction site, the mud accumulated in the area increased the intensity of the mudslide.
He also said that the ongoing rains are posing a hurdle in the search and rescue operations.
The three people confirmed dead in the incident have been identified as Chandraban, a machine operator from Madhya Pradesh; Bikash Kumar, a civil foreman from Bihar; and Anmol, a worker from Jharkhand. All three were migrant workers.
Seven injured persons were undergoing treatment at Meppadi WIMS Hospital as of Tuesday night.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan is expected to visit the affected area on Wednesday, according to government sources.
(With inputs from PTI)
