Karnataka landslide: No survivor or truck found under accumulated mud, search operations continues

Bengaluru: No survivor or truck was found under the accumulated mud on the road following a massive landslide in Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district and the focus has now shifted to the Gangavalli river to trace the three missing people, including a driver from Kerala, officials said on Monday.

Seven bodies have been recovered so far, since the incident on July 16, they said.

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.

He said 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.

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.

According to the minister, as per the satellite images from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of the day of landslide, the truck could have been pushed into the water. An Army team is looking for it using a Ferrex Locator – GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), a specialised device for locating metals under water and soil.

“They have found some traces of metal inside the Gangavali river (landslide debris that has fallen in the river). Navy specialised divers will dive tomorrow (Tuesday) inside the river and search for possible metal frame inside the debris of the landslide. We are following the expert advise of Army and Navy,” he said.

Vehicular traffic has been temporarily suspended on National Highway 66 following the landslide, which has led to protests, seeking passage, by truckers who have been stuck there for a week.