Kozhikode/Shirur: The advanced Iboard drone, which was used in the search operation for Kozhikode native Arjun, located his truck in Gangavali river on Thursday. The drone was however, unable to locate the cabin. The Indian Navy suspended the search operations for the day as its scuba diving team was unable to reach the riverbed due to the strong current.
A team of six members led by retired Major Indrapal Nambiar was formed to manage the two Iboard drones. The drone had detected the presence of metal inside the river before narrowing down on the location of the truck.
The attempt to land the drone on the water proved futile due to the strong currents. Scuba divers from the Indian Navy were also unable to reach the riverbed due to the currents and the low visibility.
Once the drone ascertains the exact location divers will attach the truck to the shore and retrieve it to the riverbank.
"The divers are unable to reach the truck's location as the water current is at 6 to 7 knots. Even with the help of a sinker, the divers are unable to reach the truck. The less visibility due to the mud and silt is also a challenge," Commander Atul Pillai from the Indian Navy said.
Heavy rain poses challenge
The district of Uttara Kannada where the landslide hit Ankola is located recorded 92 per cent large excess rainfall on Thursday. Uttara Kannada also recorded 44 per cent excess rainfall in the period between June 1 - July 24. While the normal rainfall during this period is 1525.2 mm, the district recorded 2198.8 mm.
Uttara Kannada recorded a cumulative 60.8 mm rainfall on Wednesday. Regional daily weather report showed Ankola recorded 5 cm rainfall on Wednesday.
As per IMD data, among the three districts of Coastal Karnataka; Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, Uttara Kannada recorded the highest percentage departure on Wednesday. Unrelenting showers in the area and strong undercurrents in the river have hampered search and rescue operations at Shirur in Ankola where Arjun, a truck driver from Kerala went missing following a massive landslide. Heavy showers have posed serious challenges to the rescue team who have been warned of possible landslides due to rain which have slowed down the operations that have been underway for the past ten days.
Timber from truck recovered
Meanwhile, the owner of the truck Manaf told Manorama News that four timbers were recovered from a spot which is 12 kilometre far from the river. He added that some natives collected the timber from the river. Arjun went missing in the landslide when he was transporting timber from Karnataka to Kerala on Manaf's truck.
Dredging team arrives from Goa
Amid these efforts, dredging team from Goa reached Shirur to examine the scope of removing the mud accumulated on the river. At present, two boom excavators are being used for clearing this mud. Earlier, heavy rain and strong winds severely impacted the search operations to find Kozhikode native Arjun who went missing following a massive landslide in Shirur. Though the rescue workers including army personnel resumed the search around 7.30 am on Thursday, they were forced to suspend the mission by 10.00 am.
The rescue operations on land and water are jointly carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services and the Navy. The Indian Army Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Team comprising an officer, two junior commissioned officers and 55 others of Maratha Light Infantry Regiment, Belagavi and one junior commissioned officer and two others from College of Military Engineering, Pune are also engaged in the operations. Apart from the agencies, a group of volunteers from Kerala are also engaged in the mission.
