Thiruvananthapuram: The search for the worker who went missing in the Aamayizhanchan canal entered a crucial stage on Sunday as scuba divers of the Fire Force entered two manholes on Platform Number 4 of the railway station to inspect 17 metres of the sewage tunnel. But, they failed to find Joy as they called off the search due to the waste and mud inside the manhole. As the operation failed, the officials decided to pump water to the manholes to flush out the waste and mud.

" After pumping water to the manholes, area of the canal near power house would be examined," mayor Arya Rajendran told media.

Search inside the manhole was a tough task for the team as sewage water including toilet water flows through it, officials said. The scuba divers search inside the manholes thrice on Sunday. Manorama News reported that Fire Force and NDRF personnel searched 110 metres of the 117-metre tunnel by 3 pm. 

2-day-long search
The rescue operation launched to find the contract worker of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation completed 30 hours. N Joy (47), went missing in the canal around 11 am on Saturday. The waste pile which formed as a rock inside the canal has been hindering the search since Saturday, officials said. The rescue team searched manholes close to the tunnel assuming that gush of water might have taken Joy there. But even after searching the 140-metre stretch of the canal through a robotic camera, no human trace was found.

Joy and two other workers were engaged in cleaning the Thampanoor part of the canal near the railway station when the water flow increased due to heavy rainfall. While other cleaning staff managed to escape, Joy was trapped in the gush of water.

The search resumed this morning with the entire state machinery, including fire force personnel, its scuba team, police, civic workers and the NDRF men engaged in the operation. Piles of waste and marsh accumulated in the canal were removed to facilitate a search inside the manhole.

State Fire and Rescue Services head K Padmakumar said it appeared that there are side channels inside the tunnel.
"It's not a straight one. We are holding discussions, and analysing the map of the tunnel which is under the railway lines. There is a lot of waste accumulated in the side channels too," he told reporters on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister V Sivankutty and Mayor Arya Rajendran said intense efforts are on to trace the missing worker. The minister also held discussions with Railway officials in this regard.
"Our priority is to find Joy. Other issues, including how the Railways was dealing with the canal will be dealt with later. The district collector has been entrusted with the task of probing the incident and filing a report," he told reporters.

Medical team camping at site
A full team of medical experts is at the site with ambulances equipped with oxygen and basic life support systems. The health department also decided to provide medicines including doxycycline to the rescue workers to prevent water-borne diseases including leptospirosis.

"One cannot stand near the canal for more than 15-20 minutes. The rescue workers need to clean themselves and take medicines at regular intervals. The fire and the rescue teams are working tirelessly fighting all odds," Minister Sivankutty said.

The temporary workers, including Joy, were employed by a contractor who had bagged the contract from the Railways to clean the part of the canal that falls within its territory. Joy was swept away while he was under the tunnel which runs under the railway tracks.
(With PTI inputs)