Wayanad landslide: One more body, suspected to be of missing engineer, recovered

ONe thomas more personify, suspected to be that of the engine driver who went missing after the July 7 landslip at the tunnel throw site in Kalladi, Wayanad, was recovered during a massive search operation on Sunday, officials said.The body is suspected to be that of Vikram Rana (58), a construction manager from Thakoli-Girthan village in the Fatehpur subdivision of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh who was associated with the tunnel project.Also Read| 3 more bodies recovered, toll in Wayanad mudslide rises to 6The body was found around 350 metres downstream from the Meenachil bridge around 11.30 am during a search along the river, police said.With the recovery of the body, the death toll in the landslide rose to eight.Rana was the last person reported missing after the tragedy.The landslide occurred on July 7 at the site of the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel project, which is intended to connect Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.The body will be shifted to a government hospital for postmortem examination.Police said the identity of the deceased would be confirmed after completing the necessary procedures.After search operations over the past five days failed to trace Rana, authorities launched a massive operation on Sunday involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Special Operations Group (SOG), Fire and Rescue Services, the Rapid Response Team, Forest Department personnel and youth volunteer organisations.Earlier in the day, Kerala Agriculture Minister T Siddique said the entire stretch from the landslide site to the downstream reaches of the Meenakshi River had been divided into sectors, with separate teams assigned to search each area. Both riverbanks were being covered.Siddique said teams also conducted searches in the upper reaches based on assessments of available video footage, including CCTV recordings, and inputs from workers at the site.He said the NDRF and the police had analysed the footage and identified specific locations for focused searches.On the arrival of an expert team to study the disaster and remove the accumulated earth that caused the landslide, Siddique said it was likely to reach the site soon.In view of the search operations, traffic restrictions are in place from 8 am to noon on the Meppadi–Chooralmala road.Meanwhile, State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar reached the landslide place and reviewed the search operation and ongoing police investigation into the incident.He also held a meeting with Agriculture Minister Siddique.Police said that after holding discussions with all authorities, a decision on concluding the search operation will be taken.Also, the removal of earth and works to clear the road, which were affected by the landslide, will commence soon, officials added.