Karnataka Landslide: Relatives of Malayali lorry driver Arjun seek Army's help for search operations

Kozhikode: Relatives of Arjun, the Malayali lorry driver hailing from Kozhikode, who is suspected to have got trapped under soil following a landslide at Shirur near Ankola in Uttara Kannada have demanded that the help of the Army should be sought for further search.

As it is not clear how effective the search operations using radar will be, his relatives wanted the intervention by the Army. They also sought to know why no action has been taken even after bringing to the attention of ministers and high-ranking officials since Friday. 

There were indications that the location of the lorry in which Arjun was believed to be trapped was found on the radar, but the authorities have not confirmed this yet. The team is continuing the search by removing the soil from the place where the signal was received. No information is available on how deep the lorry is or how long it will take to pull it out.

'Arjun called me on Tuesday and said he was going to sleep’
Kozhikode: Sameer of Mankavu, who has been working with Arjun in the lorry for the past eight years, says that Arjun spoke to him on the phone for the last time before he went missing. 

“Both of us usually go to Balgam to collect wood logs. We parted after having the meal prepared by Arjun on Sunday. Arjun talked to me over phone for the last time on Tuesday morning when he reached Shirur,” he said. 

“The phone call was made when he was stuck in a traffic block at Payyoli while traveling from Balgam to Edavanna. The phone conversation started at 2 am and ended at 3.10 am. Lorry drivers who come with logs sleep during the day and travel at night. So he hung up saying he was going to sleep. I reached Edavanna at 5.30 am on July 16 and unloaded the wood.

If Arjun had started on Tuesday, he should have returned on Wednesday. Lakshmana's local tea shop at Shirur is a spot where all the lorry drivers from Kerala stop, eat and rest. This is the first time such a tragedy has happened there. Lakshmana's shop was buried under the soil after a huge hill on its side fell down as a result of the landslide.  

Sameer was the first to go to pick up the load. So he returned before Arjun. They usually call each other four or five times a day. Sameer wishes for Arjun’s safe return.