Overview
- A section of the under-construction embankment at Mylakkadu near Kottiyam collapsed, creating large craters and trapping vehicles including a school bus, with all occupants evacuated safely and no injuries reported.
- NHAI has initiated a high-level investigation by an expert team from Delhi, and the Union government has sent a show-cause notice to contractor Shivalaya Construction Limited while temporarily transferring the project manager and resident engineer.
- District officials outlined phased traffic restoration, targeting full movement on the right service road on Sunday and restricted passage for small vehicles on the left by Monday noon, alongside KSEB cable replacement and drinking water measures.
- Kerala’s PWD has ordered its own inquiry, sought inspection records from NHAI, and arranged joint checks of other vulnerable stretches including Kottiyam, Mevaram, Parakkulam and Kadavoor.
- The failed section lies on the 31.25 km Kadampattukonam–Kollam contract, and recurring collapses on NH-66 have renewed scrutiny of construction methods, drainage and soil stability in wetland and paddy-field zones.