A major portion of a newly constructed stretch of National Highway 66 (NH-66) collapsed in Kerala's Kollam district on Friday, triggering panic and raising urgent questions about the structural integrity of ongoing highway works in the state. The embankment failure occurred at Mylakkadu, along the Mevara–Kadampattukonam section, at around 3:30 PM on December 7, 2025.
Panic on a Busy Corridor as Earth Gives Way
The roadside embankment suddenly gave way, causing a portion of an adjacent under-construction service road to cave in. Deep craters formed instantly, trapping several vehicles on the busy stretch. Commuters travelling through the corridor at the time were thrown into a state of panic as the ground beneath them disappeared.
Among the vehicles caught in the collapse was a school bus carrying students. Quick action by local police and residents ensured that all passengers, including the children, were evacuated safely. Officials confirmed that timely intervention prevented any injuries, but the incident starkly highlighted the dangers of allowing traffic to flow near unstable construction zones.
Authorities Respond, Site History Under Scrutiny
Following the collapse, police immediately cordoned off the affected section and initiated comprehensive safety checks. Structural experts were rushed to the spot for a preliminary assessment. An official from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) stated that the exact cause of the failure was still unclear but pointed to a significant factor: the site is built on reclaimed paddy fields. This soft, unstable soil is believed to have been a major contributor to the embankment's failure.
This is not the first such incident on NH-66 in Kerala. Authorities and the public were reminded of a similar collapse that occurred in Malappuram's Kooriyad in May 2025, where a 250-metre elevated segment of the same highway sank, also near reclaimed paddy fields. That event resulted in damaged vehicles and minor injuries to commuters, drawing severe criticism of the state's highway construction practices.
Political Allegations and Public Anger Mount
The repeat failure has sparked widespread concern and anger among local residents and commuters, who now fear using the crucial route. People living near the stretch reported that frequent construction activity and persistent vibrations had already raised safety worries long before this collapse.
The incident quickly took a political turn. Congress MP K C Venugopal alleged that poor construction quality and corruption were behind the repeated road failures in Kerala. He accused the state government of rushing NH projects ahead of the upcoming assembly election, compromising on scientific design, safety standards, and essential geotechnical due diligence.
In the aftermath of the earlier Kooriyad incident, the NHAI had taken strict action, including suspending the project director, terminating the site engineer, and blacklisting the contractor and consultancy firms involved. An expert panel subsequently examined 17 sites along NH-66 and recommended stronger geotechnical evaluation and safer slope-stabilisation methods for future works. The latest collapse in Kollam suggests these measures may not have been fully implemented or were insufficient.
The event has intensified demands from the public and opposition for stronger, more transparent monitoring of all NH-66 construction works to prevent such dangerous failures from happening again.
