Traffic through Thamarassery Ghat road prohibited following landslide

LAKKIDI: Traffic through the Thamarassery Ghat road has been prohibited following a landslide on Thursday afternoon. Only essential services, including ambulances, hospital vehicles, milk supply, newspapers, and fuel, are being allowed to pass through. The landslide occurred around 2 p.m. on Thursday while rescue workers and officials were clearing debris from an earlier slide. They escaped unhurt in what officials described as a miraculous escape.

Huge boulders, soil, and trees rolled down from a height of over 80 feet. The landslide occurred at the same spot where one had taken place on Tuesday. Police blocked the road at Lakkidi, the entry point to the ghat, and also at Adivaram. Hundreds of vehicles remain stranded. Heavy rain continued through the night, hampering efforts to clear the rocks, soil, and trees piled up on the road.

On Tuesday night, traffic had been restored by 9 p.m. after clearing the debris. But with heavy rain resuming yesterday morning around 8 a.m., stones and rocks began falling onto the road again, forcing authorities to stop vehicles. Water streams forming along the ghat have further increased the risk of fresh landslides. Meanwhile, there has been public criticism over the Kozhikode District Collector not visiting the site.