Search operations underway at debris slip-hit site at Kalladi near Meppadi in Wayanad on July 10, 2026. Photo: Special Arrangement
Intensive search operations continue in full swing for the lone missing person, Bikram Singh Rana, following a devastating landslide at a tunnel construction site in Meppadi, Wayanad.
Mr. Rana, a project manager from Himachal Pradesh, remains unaccounted for after a massive debris slide struck the under-construction Wayanad twin-tunnel road project at Kalladi earlier this week.
A joint task force consisting of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, State police, and local volunteers has been deployed to the disaster site.
Emergency workers are using heavy earthmoving machinery to excavate deep mud and wreckage, estimated to be 7 to 10 feet deep, in a desperate bid to locate the missing person.
The death toll from the tragedy rose to seven on Friday (July 10, 2026) following the recovery of another body from the downstream stretches of the Meenakshi river. The victim was subsequently identified by relatives as Rakesh Guchait, a 24-year-old project surveyor from West Bengal.
To ensure a systematic and scientific approach to the operation, authorities have divided the disaster area into four operational sectors. Officials said the final phase of the operation would focus on Zone I and Zone II as they attempt to trace Mr Rana.
Rescue authorities have maintained that despite intermittent monsoon showers making the unstable terrain hazardous, search operations will continue until the final missing worker is found.
Published – July 11, 2026 12:36 pm IST
