Karnataka landslide: Scuba divers start search in Gangavali River on 7th day
Ankola: The search for Arjun, the Malayali lorry driver, has entered the seventh day. Scuba divers have started their search in the Gangavali River in the portions where the sand dunes are found. The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), and Army are also getting ready for an extensive search in the river after assumptions that Arjun’s lorry may have fallen in it.
It is also concerning that the strong current and the size of the river may create a crisis for the search. The river is believed to be about 40 feet deep. Therefore, even if the lorry is in the river, there is concern about how far it will be possible to find it. The ongoing heavy rains are also causing a crisis.
Meanwhile, the authorities are not completely ruling out the possibility of Arjun's lorry being under the soil. Therefore, a search will be conducted here on Monday using a sophisticated metal detector that detects objects up to 12 meters deep underground. It is expected that the soil in that area will be completely removed by noon.
An eight-member Koorachundu Rescue Team (KRT), trained to quickly intervene in disaster areas, reached the accident site at 8 am on Sunday as per the instructions of the NDRF. The team has arrived in two vehicles with equipment for the rescue mission.
On the morning of July 16, Arjun (30), a resident of Kannadikkal in Kozhikode, encountered the landslide while his lorry was parked near a tea shop in Ankola along the Panvel-Kochi national highway. The GPS signal from Arjun’s lorry was last located at the site where 10 people, including a tea shop owner, perished in the landslide.
On Sunday, Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan held a meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He demanded that more systems be utilised in addition to the existing services of the NDRF, Army and Navy.
Meanwhile, Arjun’s family has said that they have lost all hope with the rescue operations. Savadh, a lorry driver from Ishwaramangala in Karnataka, said that Arjun was last seen in Shiroor sleeping in a lorry parked on the roadside.