Kozhikode: Heavy showers and a chance of another landslide are making it extremely difficult for the rescue workers at Ankola in Karnataka where a massive landslide happened on Tuesday. Arjun, a native of Kozhikode, is among the persons who are feared trapped under the debris.

The authorities suspect that his truck may have been washed off to Gangavali River and Navy's assistance has been sought. “Considering the possibility that the truck may have been washed off into the river, we have sought the assistance of navy divers from Karwar naval base. We have cleared one side of the road. At present there is no visible debris on one end of the lane,” said Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate (DM) Lakshmi Priya.

“The next step is clearing the other end towards the river. We have to do this taking care of the extremely precarious situation. There is a chance of another landslide so we are taking it step by step. Around 40 workers are on the field and in addition, we have operators of excavators and other machines. We need to take care of their safety,” Lakshmi Priya added.

Around ten people were feared trapped under the debris of which seven bodies have been recovered so far. “The search is now underway for three persons and the Kerala driver is also included among the missing list. We have identified six bodies and one body which was recovered needs to be identified,” said DM.

The disaster management plan document of Uttara Kannada district notes that instances of landslides are common during monsoon months along the highway and railway track passing through the Ghats. The document has included landslides under high frequency category in the mapping of hazards.

The seasonality of landslides in Uttara Kannada is recorded for June, July, August and September, according to the document. In 2009, the district had witnessed a spate of landslides in Karwar taluk killing 19 people. There was also a series of other landslides all along the hills to the east of INS Kadamba Naval Base obstructing the NH-17 in several locations, the document notes.