Worker injured in landslip at NH construction site in Ernakulam

Kochi: Barely two weeks after a woman was killed in a landslip along the Kochi–Dhanushkodi National Highway (NH 85) at Adimali in Idukki, another landslip struck the same highway, this time near Kolenchery in Ernakulam, injuring a construction worker on Friday.

The incident occurred around 12.30 pm near the Peruvammuzhi bridge, where widening work of the national highway is underway. The soil along a 30-foot-high side wall suddenly caved in, burying a guest worker who was engaged in the ongoing construction activity.

Fire and Rescue personnel from Muvattupuzha rushed to the scene, but the trapped worker had already been pulled out by his colleagues using an excavator.

“Before we reached, an excavator was used by other workers to remove the soil, and the worker was immediately moved to the Medical Mission Hospital in Kolenchery. He is receiving treatment in the intensive care unit,” said sources at the Fire and Rescue Station in Muvattupuzha.

Valakom panchayat president Abraham KP said the collapse occurred along a section of the Kochi–Dhanushkodi Highway that is currently being widened. “The spot falls between the Muvattupuzha–Ernakulam stretch. Since the area is close to the bridge, a portion of Puramboke land was acquired, and a retaining wall was being constructed. The exact cause of the landslip is still unclear. The rescued worker’s condition is stable now,” he said.

The incident has raised renewed concerns over the safety protocols followed in the widening works of the NH 85 corridor, particularly in areas prone to soil instability.

Meanwhile, NHAI officials clarified that the incident was not a landslip but an accident that occurred during survey work. “The worker was conducting a survey for the retaining wall construction when he accidentally slipped, causing the loose soil to cave in and fall on him,” said an NHAI official.