Times of Indiaterrifying moments, dramatic scenes of panic and destruction
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Timespeople run for life
A landslide struck near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi in Kerala's Wayanad district on Tuesday near an active tunnel road project, killing two people and leaving seven missing. Verified reports confirm 265 mm of rainfall in the preceding 24 hours under a red alert, with CCTV footage showing a fuel tanker swept away by debris. District authorities had ordered debris removal at the site on June 20.
The event shows climate-driven rainfall colliding with poorly regulated infrastructure in fragile zones, endangering local communities.
“Systemic failures in prioritizing corporate projects over environmental safeguards”
Conservative
Recurring governance failures and lax enforcement by state authorities amplified natural risks near the project site.
“Bureaucratic inertia and contractor shortcuts rather than climate alone”
Libertarian
State-directed infrastructure and disaster mandates diffused accountability away from local actors exposed to the risk.
“Centralized planning limits individual opt-out and market-driven precautions”
Devil's Advocate
All views overstate the debris order as decisive without proof it triggered the slide and overlook why vehicles remained on the route during the alert.
“Shared causal shortcut ignores red-alert compliance failures and settlement factors”