The search and rescue team deployed to find Kozhikode native Arjun in the Gangavali River is facing a dilemma due to the adverse weather conditions and meanwhile, the local MLA has alleged that the intervention of people from Kerala caused a delay in the operation.
Retired major Indrabalan Nambiar, whose team carried out a drone search, said strong currents in the flooded river are preventing naval divers from getting closer to the metallic object on the river bed, which is believed to be the truck driven by Arjun that was swept away in a landslide at Shirur in Ankola on July 16.
"The dilemma is when to recover Arjun if he is inside the cabin," Nambiar told media persons in the evening. "Also, when to send the divers in to minimise the time (in the water) and maximise the outcome is also important," Nambiar said. He pointed out that the current in the flooded river was '6 plus knots'. "Naval divers have a designed capacity to withstand 2 knots. They can go up to 3 knots to rescue. But to dive in these conditions is, in my opinion, suicidal," Nambiar added.
Lakshmi Priya K, Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district confirmed that any attempts to send divers in would depend on favourable conditions. "We can only wait for the current to stabilise otherwise we will be risking more lives," she said.
The geo-location of the identified metallic object is "50 metres plus" from the road. Those who are part of the mission are also evaluating the possibility of the driver's cabin detaching from the vehicle in the strong currents. Nambiar said they consulted an expert in Mercedes Benz to know the probability of the cabin's separation.
Meanwhile, Karwar MLA Satish Sail, who has been deputed by the Karnataka government to oversee the operation, said their attempts to search the riverbed were delayed due to intervention from Kerala. Sail said he was told anyone stuck inside could survive up to six days if the cabin remained intact. "On that basis, I requested on day one that we try the search on the side of the riverbed. But your people only said the GPS of the Benz vehicle showed on the side of the road." Sail said this in the presence of Kerala MLAs A K M Ashraf and Sachin Dev and M K Raghavan MP.
Thermal imaging at night
MLA Sail said an exact picture could emerge tonight as the search and rescue team will be using thermal imaging techniques to look for the missing persons in the geo-tagged locations. The search and rescue team is hoping to get an accurate picture from thermal imaging at night. According to Nambiar, four metallic objects are yet to be found: Arjun's truck, the cabin of a fuel tanker, a mobile tower and a safety railing on the side road.
The rescuers had determined that the object located 50 metres from the road could be Arjun's truck based on the logical reasoning that the mobile tower and the road railings were unlikely to be carried that far in the current due to fewer surface area.
"We did not have the answers till afternoon, whether the truck immediately submerged or did it float for some distance. Today logs from the truck were found almost 500 metres downstream, so the truck might have been carried by the current and the signals match logical explanation," Nambiar said.
