India, July 8 -- The mudslide at Kalladi in Kerala's Wayanad district, which killed three people and left five others missing on Tuesday has renewed scrutiny of the controversial Wayanad twin tunnel project, with environmentalists demanding that the state government halt the work and order independent geological, hydrological and social impact studies before proceeding further.

The disaster occurred near the site of the twin tunnel road project connecting Meppadi in Wayanad district and Anakkampoyil in Kozhikode district. A video clip showed the mound of mud, which had accumulated near Meenakshi Bridge, suddenly collapsing in the rain, bringing down trees, sweeping away more than half a dozen vehicles, and crushing several temporary labo...