Karnataka landslide: Search on Day 9 to proceed with new modern equipment
Ankola (Karnataka): Today marks the ninth day since Arjun, a native of Kozhikode, went missing following a landslide in Shiroor, Uttara Kannada. Search efforts by the army and navy have resumed this morning, with the hope that the family's and locals' waiting will soon come to an end. Today's search will utilize new modern equipment.
Retired Major General Indrabalan, a Malayali, will lead the search team arriving in Shiroor on Wednesday. Indrabalan and his team, including five technicians from Delhi, are equipped with advanced technology capable of detecting objects up to 20 meters deep in both soil and water. Indrabalan assured Mathrubhumi that no mud or rock could obstruct the signal from this equipment.
The joint search operation will involve both land and naval forces. The team arrived in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening, and the necessary equipment from Delhi is expected to arrive soon. An equipment called the Boom will also be brought in which is capable of excavating to deeper depths. This is believed to help in removing the mud from under the water. The machine had faced a temporary setback following a fault. But it is expected to reach by noon today.
A search will take place tomorrow using the DIBODS system to locate objects covered in mud. The delay in the arrival of the machine's battery has delayed the search. As they were not allowed to bring the battery by air, they are now bringing it by train.
The challenging topography of the accident site in Shiroor suggests the use of drone systems, which are part of the advanced technology brought by Indrabalan's team. The team believes that using this new equipment will expedite the search for the lorry.
Adverse weather conditions hampered Tuesday's search efforts. The Navy's scuba team was unable to dive into the Gangavali River due to rain and strong undercurrents. Instead, a radar mounted on a boat was used to inspect the river.
On Monday, a signal was detected in the river near a dune, 40 meters from the shore, but the soil couldn't be removed due to the water. Under the army's leadership, four layers of soil were removed from the land area and checked using GPR (ground-penetrating radar), but no clues were found.
Last day, the body of a woman who went missing in the landslide was found in a decomposed state. A total of four people, including Arjun, remain missing.