ANKOLA LANDSLIDE

Ankola landslide: No trace of Arjun or his truck yet; Body of woman recovered from river

Kozhikode/ Shirur: The search for Kozhikode native Arjun and two Karnataka natives who went missing in a massive landslide at Karnataka's Shirur resumed on Tuesday morning. Arjun, a truck driver was reportedly crossing the National Highway 66 to transport timber from Karnataka to Kerala when a massive landslide hit Ankola. As per the latest reports, the GPR received a signal from the river. Army and NDRF personnel have intensified their search in the river to confirm whether the object detected in the 8-metre depth of the river is the truck or not. More equipment including a dredger machine will be taken to the spot to remove the mud accumulated in the river. More divers of the Navy will also join the mission.

Talking to Manorama News, Manaf, owner of the missing truck driven by Arjun revealed that the body of a woman was recovered on Tuesday morning. He added that Karnataka media have been reporting interventions of Kerala to find Arjun as an attempt to defame their government. He appealed to the volunteers who are preparing to leave for Shirur to join the search to call off their plan as Karnatala government are not allowing civilians to the accident spot. Manaf pointed out that only 25 volunteers from Kerala were allowed for the search when over 100 reached the spot.

Ranjith Israeli, a rescue worker from Kerala told the media that Karnataka officials are hiding something about the landslide. He alleged that the officials are not ready to give a boring machine to drill the spot where the truck is suspected to be buried. He said that he joined the rescue mission after seeking permission from the collector.

According to Ranjith Israeli, if a boring machine is taken to clear the mud accumulated in the river, it will accelerate the removal of the mud. He asserted that the truck should be detected to find Arjun. He also alleged that the officials deployed by the Karnataka government are not cooperating with him.

A group of volunteers from Kerala who reached Shirur alleged that Karnataka officials refused to allow them to engage in the search citing safety issues. They claimed that they had told the officials that they were ready to take the required machinery including a dredger from Kerala. But the officials rejected their request. Uttara Kannada district authority has imposed strict restrictions in entering the accident spot as there are chances for landslide. Only 28 people including family members of Arjun were allowed in the accident spot on Monday.

One of the volunteers from Kerala told Manorama News that search in the river would be a tough task as the rescuers dumped the mud cleared from the road in the water body. Manorama News reported that over 100 people reached Shirur to join the mission.

Mud cleared from road, says Karnataka minister
In a statement, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that the operation at the Shirur landslide site is continuing.

"The search under the accumulated mud on the road is almost complete. We have not found any survivor or truck. While we have been carrying out operations in the river and open water, the focus is now more on the Gangavalli river. Every lead on the river front is being pursued. Deep divers are trying to locate the truck cabin," he said.

He said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services and Navy are continuing the operations on land and water. 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, he said. Besides the rescue apparatuses already in the field, the army team has specialised tools including ground penetration radars, deep search metal detectors, rafts with overboard motors and specialised climbing equipment.

"The 29 members of NDRF, 42 of SDRF, 12 deep divers from Indian Navy and teams from the Fire and Emergency department of the state are in active deployment in the search operations," he said. According to the minister, as per the satellite images from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of the day of landslide, the truck could have been pushed into the water. An Army team is looking for it using a Ferrex Locator GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), a specialised device for locating metals under water and soil.

"They have found some traces of metal inside the Gangavali river (landslide debris that has fallen in the river). Navy specialised divers will dive tomorrow (Tuesday) inside the river and search for possible metal frame inside the debris of the landslide. We are following the expert advise of Army and Navy," he said. Vehicular traffic has been temporarily suspended on National Highway 66 following the landslide, which has led to protests, seeking passage, by truckers who have been stuck there for a week.