Arjun and lorry still not found; landslide disaster in Karnataka; seven bodies recovered

ANKOLA (KARNATAKA): Kerala is praying for the life of lorry driver Arjun, who was buried under the mud and dirt from the landslide disaster four days ago. Arjun (30), a native of Kozhikode Kakkodi Kannadikkal, went missing along with his lorry on the Goa-Mangalore national highway at Ankola Shirur hill range in Uttara Kannada district. Officials informed that they have sought the help of the Navy to find out if the lorry is underwater since the accident happened on the banks of the Gangavali River and the removal of soil has been speeded up. Ten people including Arjun were involved in the accident. Seven bodies were found in the river.

Arjun went on the 8th of this month with the lorry of Manaf, a resident of Mukkam, to bring wood from Karnataka. His last call home was on the 16th. The information came to be known at Arjun's house when the Bharat Benz Company informed the lorry owner about the presence of GPS at the disaster site.

A move is underway to deploy Navy helicopters. It has not been confirmed whether Arjun is stuck under the dirt or fell into the Gangavali river and was swept away. Heavy rains, landslides and mudflow have hampered the rescue operation. Today's rescue operation ended at 8 pm. It will resume at 6 am tomorrow. Disaster management forces, police and fire forces are conducting the search. As per the instructions of the Chief Minister of Kerala, the Chief Secretary is in regular contact with the District Collector and Superintendent of Police.

Rescue operation when Kerala intervened

1. The rescue operation started on the third day when the Kerala government and the Congress leadership intervened for Arjun. Karnataka's focus was on restoring traffic by removing dirt on the national highway. It is a sparsely populated hilly area
2. The accident occurred near the shop where the lorry drivers were drinking tea. The bodies of shop owner Laxman Naik, his wife Shanti and their son Roshan were found in the river on Thursday. The body of daughter Avantika and the body of Laxman's mother were found today. The other two bodies are those of tanker lorry drivers Murugan (45) and Chinna (55), natives of Tamil Nadu.