Is Arjun in lorry? Today's search vital, mission team to go bottom of river

BENGALURU: The search for Arjun, who went missing in the landslide at Shirur in Karnataka, is crucial today. The efforts to confirm whether Arjun is in the lorry which was found upside down in the Gangavali river will be considered first. The search for this using IBOD will be conducted under the leadership of Major General Indrabal Nambiar.

The divers will reach the place where the lorry is in the river and then will see whether Arjun is in the cabin. Media personnel will not be allowed to enter the search area. The authorities have clarified that mobile phones will not be allowed. Officials hope to complete the operation by this evening. However, the weather is unfavourable. There is a rain warning in Uttara Kannada today. The flow of the river Gangavali is also rising.

As the mission reached its critical juncture yesterday, the weather turned villain. The truck could not be lifted from inside the mound. Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and the army confirmed at 3.30 pm that the truck was found at a depth of 20 meters on the banks of the Gangavali River, adjacent to the national highway, during the navy's sonar and army's radar scans. The Uttara Kannada district administration also conveyed this information to the Karnataka government.

The process of dredging the soil to a depth using a boom excavator began. More cranes were delivered. The NDRF team were vigilant. There was also a discussion to assist the search team that had arrived in Shirur including from Kerala. The deep divers of the Navy also were engaged in the search operations. Using the drone based IBOD, the search was intensified at the place where the soil accumulated at a distance of 20 and 30 meters in the river. This move could not continue for long due to the inclement weather.