Kerala: Body of sanitary worker found 46 hrs after he went missing in canal

The body of a sanitary worker, Joy, who had gone missing while cleaning a canal filled with waste and filth in Thiruvananthapuram two days earlier, has finally been found.

Joy had been swept away while cleaning the Amayizhanchan canal on Saturday (Juy 13).

The Kerala government confirmed that the body found in the Amayizhanchan canal on Monday (July 15) morning was indeed that of 47-year-old Joy.

The decomposed body was found in the canal on the Pazhavangadi-Thakaraparambu-Vanchiyoor road by corporation sanitation workers, who immediately alerted the police and the ward councillor.

An expert team from the Indian Navy had joined the massive search and rescue operation on Monday morning to trace the sanitation worker, Joy, who had been swept away while cleaning the Amayizhanchan canal on Saturday.

With the authorities officially identifying the body of Joy, multiple agencies, including the police, Fire Force, and NDRF, ended their 46-hour-long massive rescue operations.

The body has been sent to the Government Medical College Hospital for further examination.

Tragic death

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of Joy, terming it as "extremely sorrowful".

"Joy's body, which was missing since Saturday, was found this morning near Thakaraparambu-Vanchiyoor. I convey my deepest condolences and grief over Joy's tragic death. I share the grief of the family members," Viajayan said in a statement here.

He said a 46-hour long continuous rescue operation was carried out to find Joy.

"The rescue operation was coordinated by bringing together various departments. All government agencies worked together and took all possible humanly measures to ensure the success of the operation. The help of technology, including gen robotics, was also used for the rescue operation," Vijayan said.

He said in the highly complex rescue operation, the Fire Force, their scuba diving team, National Disaster Response Force, Police, Navy's expert team, and sanitation workers joined hands and worked tirelessly.

"We express our heartfelt gratitude to all of them for their service," the chief minister said.

Victim of failed government system

The Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, stated that Joy was a victim of a failed government system.

"The helplessness of that poor man, who was forced to jump into the polluted water without any safety measures, is a result of the inefficiency and neglect of the governing system.

"Within hours of his disappearance, tons of waste were removed with machine assistance. What was the obstacle that prevented this from being done earlier?," asked Satheesan in a Facebook post.

The Congress leader said the government should not forget its responsibility to protect the family of Joy, including his aged mother. "I share the grief of all," he said.

Joy, a temporary cleaning worker employed by a railway contractor, went missing while clearing the waste-filled canal criss-crossing through the heart of the capital city on Saturday.

He and two other workers were engaged in cleaning the Thampanoor part of the canal near the railway station when the water flow increased due to heavy rainfall, sweeping him into a 200-metre-long tunnel below the tracks of the platform at the central railway station. 

(With inputs from agencies)