Ankola landslide: Hope still alive as NDMF looks for 3 missing persons

Hope is still alive amidst the tragedy on National Highway 66, at Shirur, Ankola taluk, in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district.

Ten people have been reported missing, and only seven bodies have been recovered. The National Disaster National Disaster Response Force (NDMF) is actively searching for the three missing individuals, including Kerala-based Benz lorry driver Arjun Mooladikuzhiyil.

Engaging in the search effort are 29 members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and 34 members of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

Arjun’s lorry found

The Benz lorry, driven by Arjun, was discovered buried in the soil through the use of a metal detector and GPS technology, offering a glimmer of hope that he may still be alive.

Munaf Asha, the lorry's owner from Kerala, expressed optimism upon hearing the news, believing that Arjun and his vehicle could potentially be rescued if the clearing operations progress swiftly.

Lakshmana Bommayya Naik (50), his wife Shanti Naik (45), son Roshan (11), daughter Avantika (5), Bhav Jagannath Naik (60) and Upendra Naik (45) of Shirur, who ran an eatery, are also missing. Among them, Lakshmana, Shanti, Balaka Roshan, Avantika and an unidentified body were found on the Gangavali river bank.

Lakshmana Naik’s hotel

Lakshmana Naik, who spoke good Malayalam, attracted drivers from Kerala to his shop for tea. For many years, it has been customary for lorry drivers to stop at his eatery before hitting the highway again. Sadly, tragedy struck during one such routine stop. 

The disaster occurred when a section of the 250-foot-tall hill broke away and collapsed. As a result, the Ankola-Kumata connection via National Highway 66 has been completely disrupted.

The highway runs along the banks of the Gangavali in Shirur, 10 km from Ankola on the Ankola-Kumata route. A few years ago, the hill over 250 feet high was cut vertically to widen the highway to four lanes.

Incident details

During the rainy season, water flows from the cut hill. The hill had collapsed partially during the previous rainy season. One side of the highway features a hill, while the other side has the Gangavali River located 15-20 feet below.

Eyewitnesses reported that on Tuesday morning two tankers and a car were parked near Naik's shop.

More than 1 acre of the hill suddenly collapsed in the early hours. Debris blocked a 60-metre-wide stretch of the highway, reached 30 metres beyond a tea stall, and slid into the Gangavali.

‘A tsunami’

A wave resembling a tsunami surged due to the impact of rocks and soil, causing havoc on the opposite bank.

Local social worker Manjula Naik said she had never witnessed such a large portion of a hill collapsing into the river and generating a massive water surge.

A tanker truck filled with cooking gas and an empty tanker were swept away for kilometres due to the powerful force of the rocky hillside. A car parked near the highway tea shop, along with the shop occupants including the entire Naik family, went missing, and more than 10 people were unaccounted for.

Seven bodies were recovered from the banks of the Gangavali in nearby towns, and the fate of the others remains uncertain. Eleven people were injured in the incident and hospitalised.

Operational challenges

Rescuing those trapped under the debris is a daunting task, compounded by continuous rainfall, which hampers the clearing of mud and rocks.

The SDRF and other teams are employing JCB machinery in their operations. As a hill stands on one side and the river on the other, the lack of dumping sites close by for cleared debris further complicates the operation.

Experts from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have examined the rocks and soil at the landslide site. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has also inspected the site.

What caused it?

Earlier, the same team had conducted a survey in the district, identifying areas prone to landslides. The GSI had warned about landslides at 436 locations in the district.

The hills beside the highway have become hazardous, with unscientific hill cutting cited as the cause of the collapse.

NHAI claimed that the stretch of highway in Ankola was constructed four years ago and was in a good condition. The landslide was attributed to heavy rains, although geologists assert that natural causes alone cannot explain landslides.

As the rescue team operated the JCB for rescue, the hill collapsed again, prompting an immediate retreat. 

According to police reports, a case has been registered against the head of the road company and senior NHAI officials at Ankola police station, following a complaint filed by Purushottama Naik, a resident of Shirur. 

Minister Mankal Vaidya’s point of view

Minister of Fisheries and Ports and Uttara Kannada District in-charge Mankal Vaidya, who inspected the remedial work and soil clearance, blamed the disaster on the "unscientific practices" of NHAI. The highway was constructed disregarding advice from local representatives, leading to the tragedy, he said.

Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda addressed the Legislative Assembly, criticising the "steep and unscientific" cutting of the hill for highway construction. He lodged objections against NHAI for not taking precautions despite warnings.

The collapse of the hill in Shirur has halted traffic on National Highway-66, severely affecting vehicles traveling from Hubballi to Mangaluru via Ankola, as well as tankers and other vehicles commuting from Goa to Mangaluru.

Search for Arjun

Arjun Mooladikuzhiyil, the 30-year-old truck driver from Kozhikode who is feared to be trapped under a huge mound of soil since Tuesday following the landslide, is yet to be found.

Ministerial-level interventions and joint efforts by the Kerala-Karnataka authorities have lent hope to Arjun’s family.

“We want to believe that a miracle will happen,” said Krishnapriya, Arjun’s wife, as quoted by an Indian Express report.