Arjun's brother-in-law has reached the incident site and confirmed that soil removal has commenced in a bid to locate him.
Published Jul 19, 2024 | 5:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 20, 2024 | 12:07 PM
Landslide in Shirur in Karnataka. (Screengrab)
A search operation led by the Karnataka and Kerala governments has ensued near the National Highway of Sirur in Karnataka as a lorry driver named Arjun hailing from Kozhikode in Kerala has been missing, following the massive landslide on Tuesday, 16 July.
The Siddaramaiah government has instructed Karnataka Law and Order ADGP R Hitendra to oversee the investigation. According to the latest information, the Karnataka Cyber Cell has also been inducted into the case.
On the other hand, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan instructed Chief Secretary V Venu to urgently intervene, and coordinate with the Karnataka government to rescue the missing Keralite.
Arjun’s family, residing in Kozhikode last spoke to him on Monday, 15 July, his phone was available on Tuesday, but the calls went unanswered. However, his phone rang once on Friday, 19 July, at 8 am.
Similarly, the Bharat Benz company—manufacturer of the lorry he was driving informed that the engine of the vehicle was operational till the night of Thursday, 17 July.
Arjun’s brother-in-law has reached the incident site and confirmed that soil removal has commenced in a bid to locate him.
The Karnataka chief minister has also directed the police and fire brigade to expedite the ongoing rescue operations. Rescue efforts at the landslide site are currently led by NDRF along with police and fire force teams.
Meanwhile, Stalin, the president of the Kerala Lorry Transport Employees Union, stated that a request for assistance had been sent to the Karnataka Transport Commissioner two days ago, but there had been no significant response. He however reiterated that he will follow up on this request.
Additionally, Kerala Minister PA Mohammed Riyas has appointed the Kozhikode Collector to coordinate the efforts.
Following the chief minister’s instructions, the chief secretary has been in constant contact with the district collector and the Superintendent of Police at the incident site.
Kerala’s Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan spoke to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over phone and requested urgent action to trace Arjun.
“Shivakumar assured that rescue operations are being expedited and all necessary steps are being taken,” the LoP’s office said in Thiruvananthapuram.
In the 16 July landslide, seven persons, including a five-member family, were feared killed. The family members, who were running a roadside petty shop on National Highway (NH) 66, were suspected to be trapped under mud and soil that plunged down a hill, official sources said.
Among the four dead were members of the same family, who ran an eatery along the national highway. They have been identified as 47-year-old Lakshman Naik, his 36-year-old wife Shanti Naik and their children Roshan (11), Avantika (6). The two other deceased has been identified as drivers.
According to the officials, seven people were feared dead. Out of which, the bodies of six people have been recovered so far. Search operations will continue until all the bodies are recovered.
IRB company had excavated the hill for highway widening on NH 66, which, due to heavy rains, caused the landslide.
The landslide also pushed a gas tanker to nearby Gangavali river, the sources said based on preliminary information, adding, that the vehicle’s driver and cleaner, who were reportedly having tea at the shop at the time of the incident, were missing.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
