Kerala: NHAI condoles man's death in landslide, says it warned of danger days earlier

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (IANS) The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic death of a man named Biju in the landslide that struck near Adimaly on the NH-85 corridor late Saturday night.

The incident, which occurred at around 10.45 p.m. on October 25, also injured his wife Sandhya, who was rescued after a seven-hour operation by local authorities.

In a statement on Sunday, the NHAI said it had acted promptly upon receiving a communication from the Idukki District Disaster Management Unit (DDMU) on October 22 warning of a possible landslide.

Following an inspection, NHAI engineers confirmed the likelihood of a slide and immediately recommended the evacuation of all families residing near the vulnerable slope.

Acting on this recommendation, the district administration served formal evacuation notices and shifted residents to a temporary relief camp set up at the Adimaly Government School.

Traffic movement along the affected stretch of NH-85 had also been suspended from 10 a.m. on Saturday as a precautionary step.

“Unfortunately, the tragedy occurred when Shri Biju and his wife briefly returned home from the relief camp for a personal necessity,” the NHAI statement noted.

“At the time of the incident, no highway widening or construction activity was taking place at the site.”

The authority further emphasised that, in coordination with the DDMU, it had implemented a series of preventive measures to minimise the impact of any potential landslide.

“These proactive steps significantly reduced the extent of the damage,” it said.

NHAI also appealed to the public to strictly adhere to safety advisories issued by disaster management and highway authorities.

Continuous 24-hour monitoring of the site is now underway, with NHAI officials working in close coordination with the district administration, local representatives and residents.

“We remain fully committed to ensuring the safety of human lives and property and will continue our efforts until the situation returns completely to normal,” the statement concluded.

--IANS

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