Karnataka landslide: No survivor or truck found under accumulated mud
Government says rescue operation to find three missing people including a driver from Kerala is now being conducted on the Gangavalli river
Even though rescue efforts are underway to find three missing people including a driver from Kerala in the wake of a massive landslide in Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district, no survivor or truck has been found under the accumulated mud on the site, officials said on Monday (July 22).
They said the focus now has shifted to the Gangavalli river to trace the three missing people.
Seven bodies have been recovered so far since the incident on July 16, they said.
Operation still on
In a statement, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that the operation at the Shirur landslide site is continuing.
"The search under the accumulated mud on the road is almost complete. We have not found any survivor or truck. While we have been carrying out operations in the river and open water, the focus is now more on the Gangavalli river. Every lead on the river front is being pursued. Deep divers are trying to locate the truck cabin," he said.
According to him, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services and Navy are continuing the operations on land and water.
The Indian Army Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Team comprising an officer, two Junior commissioned officers and 55 others of Maratha Light Infantry Regiment, Belagavi and one Junior commissioned officer and two others from College of Military Engineering, Pune are also engaged in the operations, he said.
Specialised tools used in rescue ops
Besides the rescue apparatuses already in the field, the army team has specialised tools including ground penetration radars, deep search metal detectors, rafts with overboard motors and specialised climbing equipment.
"The 29 members of NDRF, 42 of SDRF, 12 deep divers from Indian Navy and teams from the Fire and Emergency department of the state are in active deployment in the search operations," he said.
Vehicular traffic has been temporarily suspended on National Highway 66 following the landslide.
(With inputs from agencies)
