Shirur: After nine consecutive days of intensive search, Kerala's numerous questions regarding the landslide in the Shirur hills of the Western Ghats, Karnataka, have been partly answered. 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 pressing question now is: where is Arjun? Authorities hope Thursday's search will provide a solid answer.
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. Despite efforts by underwater diving experts and Navy officials, heavy rains and strong currents halted the operation on Wednesday.
Arjun was driving a BharatBenz truck loaded with 40 tonnes of timber from Belagavi to Kozhikode when he stopped for tea on National Highway 66. Multiple teams have been conducting an intense search across the Shirur hills, which slid onto the National Highway during the landslide, and in the Gangavali River using radars and earth-moving machines for over a week. The truck was traced using state-of-the-art equipment, including an Advanced Drone-Based Intelligent Underground Buried Object Detector and a Ferex locator.
Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda confirmed the truck's detection underwater on Wednesday evening at 3:25 PM. The Army is now focused on reaching the truck and recovering it from the river. Only the Army is permitted to enter the search site.
Questions remain
Did Arjun manage to escape from the truck? It is believed that Arjun was sleeping inside the truck's cabin when the landslide occurred. If so, he likely plunged into the river’s depths along with the vehicle. Alternatively, if the landslide happened while Arjun had stepped out for tea with the engine running, the possibility of him slipping into the river cannot be ruled out.
Next steps
* Secure the truck on the riverbed amidst the strong currents.
* Connect the vehicle to the shore.
* Determine if Arjun is inside the vehicle.
* Retrieve the truck to the riverbank.
Challenges
Heavy rain continues unabated in the region, causing the river to swell. So far, eight bodies have been recovered following the landslide that struck NH 66 on July 16.
