Wayanad Landslide Death Toll Rises to 6; Victims Include Migrant Workers from Bihar, Jharkhand

Wayanad: Rescue teams recovered three more bodies from the disaster site on Thursday, pushing the death toll from the devastating Wayanad landslide in Kerala to six, district officials confirmed.

The victims include migrant labourers who travelled to Kerala for work. Authorities identified the latest victims as Azharuddin Ansari (a surveyor from Uttar Pradesh), Rahul Sharma (an engineer from Himachal Pradesh), and Mohammad Imran (an excavator operator from Bihar). Earlier, officials identified another victim as Anmol Dodrai, a migrant labourer from Jharkhand.

Kerala Ministers A.P. Anil Kumar and T. Siddique informed reporters that rescue workers retrieved one body directly from the disaster site. They recovered the other two from a nearby river.

Intensive Search Operations Underway for the Missing

Minister Anil Kumar stated that rescue teams are currently concentrating their intensive search and rescue operations across Zone 1 and Zone 2 of the affected area, with a special focus on the riverbanks.

MLA T. Siddique added that authorities will conduct the post-mortem examinations at the Vythiri Taluk Hospital before preserving the bodies at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital.

The catastrophic landslide struck on July 7 at the construction site of the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel project, a major infrastructure venture connecting the Wayanad and Kozhikode districts. At present, two individuals remain missing beneath the debris.

High-Priority Rescue Operations

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan emphasized on Wednesday that the administration is prioritizing the search and rescue operations above all else to locate the remaining missing persons.

Out of the 10 people who sustained injuries during the initial landslide, hospitals have discharged three individuals. Four patients remain in stable condition in general wards, while three others are undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where doctors list two as critical. Disaster management teams continue to race against time to clear the debris and locate survivors.