Kozhikode: Amid the intensive search for the people who went missing in a landslide at Ankola's Shirur in Karnataka, the family members of the driver Arjun from Kozhikode expressed disappointment over the delay in launching the rescue operation. Amid this, a team of NIT officials started a search using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to detect Arjun's truck trapped in the mud. Neel, a member of the NIT team told Manorama News that they tested radar on the spot, but the truck was not detected so far. He pointed out that pile of mud, water and rock under the ground will pose challenges to trace the truck using GPR.
GPR will capture the images of the ground and guide the rescuers to the spot where the truck carrying Arjun is trapped. As per the GPS data, the location of the truck was recorded in Ankola. Apart from Arjun, two others are also feared trapped in the mud.
Earlier, reports claimed that the radar detected the truck, but the NIT member clarified that there is no clue about the presence of the truck yet.
"We have sent signals to two metres depth while testing the GPR. We didn't get any clue on the presence of the truck. If there is any metal under the ground, the signals will confirm it. The status of the land here which is filled with mud, rocks and water will make the search a tough task. So far, we haven't confirmed the exact location of any vehicle trapped under the mud," said Neel.
At present, mud is being removed from the road where the truck feared trapped. After removing the mud, GPR will be taken to detect the presence of the vehicle.
Arjun missing from July 16
Talking to Manorama News, Arjun's sister Anju criticised the officials for not carrying out an intensive search from Tuesday itself. She said that the family had lodged a man missing complaint with the police fearing that he might have been trapped in the landslide. A search was launched only on Friday.
“ What should we expect now?. So far, no intensive search was carried out for Arjun,” said Anju with tears.
The family demanded to deploy the army for the search operations. Arjun's brother-in-law Jithin and truck owner Manaf are camping at Shirur. Jithin declared that they won't leave without Arjun.
Talking to Manorama News, truck owner Manaf said that Arjun will survive as he is a healthy and determined person.
“The truck carried 10 litres of water and food. If the situation is favourable, he will definitely fight and return to life,” said Manaf.
Arjun's family members and neighbours are pinning hope on his return as the Navy and NDRF personnel are continuing the search for the people trapped in the mud.
Huge pile of mud to be removed
A team of Kerala officials also joined the rescue operation on Saturday morning. Chandrakumar, a Motor Vehicle Inspector from Kerala told Manorama News that the truck is feared trapped under 6 metre depth from the mud-filled road. By 11 am on Saturday, mud in 400 metres was removed from the spot. The officials hope that the truck would be traced by noon.
The National Highway 66 on Shirur is a two-lane road. One of these lanes is completely filled with mud after a huge portion of a hill flowed down during the landslide.
Meanwhile, a simultaneous search is also underway in the nearby Gangavati river for the missing people. Dakshina Kannada district collector Lakshmipriya told the media that Karnataka and Kerala governments are jointly carrying out the rescue operation. She justified that the team forced to halt the search on Friday due to mudslide and bad weather.
