Ankola: A team of army led by retired Major General Indrapal Nambiar will be using two advanced Iboard drones equipped with GPS to identify the position of the truck belonging to missing Kozhikode native Arjun. “As the battery of the drone is being brought on a train, we will be able to use it only by 11.30 am,” said Indrapal, who hails from Palakkad in Kerala. A team of police is waiting at Karwar railway station to collect the battery.
“We are setting up a drone control centre today. We got a new navigational pack from a company based in Bengaluru. GPS used in India was developed by the USA. So it is not accurate. Hence, the new navigational pack will help us to examine the place efficiently. Once, the battery of the drone reaches, we will launch it immediately. The drone will be used for assessing the exact position of the truck. It will help the divers to decide on their move,” Indrapal told Manorama News.
On Wednesday, search operations confirmed that the truck driven by Arjun, a native of Kannadikkal in Kozhikode, is trapped on the riverbed of the Gangavali River. The Army transported various equipment to the accident site by Wednesday night, aiming to recover the truck from the riverbed on Thursday. The truck is located approximately 20 meters from the riverbank and five meters underwater. Arjun was driving a BharatBenz truck loaded with 40 tonnes of timber from Belagavi to Kozhikode on July 16 when he stopped for tea on National Highway 66 at Shirur in Karnataka's Ankola. A landslide occurred in the spot at the time killing at least eight people.
Next steps
The next step involves securing the truck on the riverbed amidst the strong currents. "The divers are unable to reach the truck's location as the current is at 6 to 7 knots. Even with the help of a sinker, the divers are unable to reach the truck. The less visibilty due to the mud and silt is also a challenge," Commander Atul Pillai from the Indian Navy official told Manorama News.
If the divers are able to reach the spot, they'd connect the vehicle to the shore and determine if Arjun is inside the vehicle. The truck would then be retrievedto the riverbank.
