Kozhikode/Bengaluru: As the search continues for Arjun and his truck, an eyewitness revealed to Manorama that he saw Arjun’s vehicle plunge into the Gagavali River during the landslide. Nagesh Gowda, who had arrived at the scene from Ulavare village on the opposite bank to collect firewood floating in the floodwaters, suggested that the truck might still be submerged near the riverbank.
According to Nagesh Gowda, he was on the riverbank when the landslide occurred on Shirur Hill.
"Along with the mud sliding down the hill, I saw a truck being dragged to the riverbank. It was the tea shop on the riverbank that was first pushed into the river by the heavy gush of mud. Following this, a truck loaded with wood was also seen falling into the river," he recounted.
Alongside the soil, a high-tension electric pole at the top of the hill also came crashing down. The mudslide caused the water level in the river to surge abruptly, destroying houses along the riverbank. Four children who were on the riverbank managed to run to safety but were hospitalized with injuries.
Nagesh Gowda mentioned that he only saw the rear side of the truck and the wood loaded on it, not the front. Additionally, a large number of granite pieces from the riverbank were hurled into the village during the landslide.
HC issues notice to centre, state govts
The Karnataka High Court has issued notices to the Karnataka State Government and the Union Government regarding a petition requesting additional Army troops to assist in locating individuals, including Arjun from Kozhikode, who went missing in a landslide at Shirur in Dakshina Kannada's Ankola.
This action was prompted by a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Malayali lawyers K R Subash Chandran and Siji Malayil. The petition criticized the Karnataka government for its initial laxity in conducting search and rescue operations under the landslide debris.
In response, the Centre reported that underwater diving experts and an Army rescue team had already been deployed at the accident site. The hearing on the petition is set to continue on Wednesday.
