Shirur landslide search ops: Missing truck found submerged in Gangavali River

Karwar/Ankola: Police confirmed on Wednesday (July 24) that the truck found in the Gangavali River belongs to Arjun from Kozhikode, Kerala.

Arjun has been missing since July 16 following a landslide in Shirur, Karnataka. The search operation for Arjun entered its ninth day on Wednesday.

Minister Krishna Byre Gowda Tweets About the Truck:

“Update on operation at Shiroor landslide. One truck has been definitively located in the water and that the naval deep divers will attempt anchoring shortly. The long arm boomer excavator will be used to dredge the river. Advanced drone based Intelligent Underground Buried Object Detection system was also deployed for search. The Coast Guard will do a helicopter search for missing bodies in water,” posted Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on social media platform ‘X’.

Despite heavy rain and wind in Shirur, a helicopter from the Coastal Guard has initiated the search operation in the river. The long-arm boom excavator arrived at the location on Wednesday morning to assist in retrieving the truck to the shore.

The excavator also helped remove soil from a depth of 60 meters.

Earlier, sonar signals indicating the presence of metal parts in the river were detected. Signals were also picked up during radar inspections from the same area.

Truck Confirmed at Shirur Landslide Site:

Ankola: While operating a boom-crawling excavator at the Shirur landslide site, an iron object was reportedly struck by the excavator bucket.

On Wednesday morning, navy scuba divers dove into the water and confirmed the presence of the truck.