Shirur Landslide: K'taka High Court directs govt to continue search efforts

Bengaluru: The state government informed the High Court that eight out of the 11 missing persons in the landslide on National Highway-66 at Shirur in Uttara Kannada district have been found dead, while three are still untraceable. The rescue operations are ongoing.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Anjaria and Justice K.V. Aravind on Monday heard the PIL filed in the case.

Advocate General K. Shashikiran Shetty, representing the state government, explained that heavy rains have hampered the rescue operations.

The bench instructed the continuation of rescue efforts and scheduled the next hearing for August 12, asking the petitioners to file any objections to the central and state government reports.

Shetty told the court that daily reports of the rescue operations conducted from July 16 to July 31 have been submitted. Eight bodies have been recovered and three individuals remain unaccounted for. The state government, with the assistance of the central government, is continuing the rescue operations, despite challenges posed by natural factors such as rain and floods, he said.

Assistant Solicitor General H. Shantibhushan, representing the central government, stated that necessary support has been provided to the state government. He noted that a river near the landslide site, which flows into the sea within two kilometers, has a current speed of 7 knots, making rescue operations challenging.