Shirur landslide : Family of 30-year-old Vishnu waiting with bated breath as he is feared to be trapped at the site
Kozhikode: A family in Kozhikode is waiting with bated breath for Arjun, a 30-year-old Lorry driver who is feared to be trapped in a landslide that took place on July 16th where seven bodies have already been retrieved. As of today, the NDRF and the navy officials have begun the search for those who are under the debris.
The landslide occurred on July 16that Shirur in Ankola Taluk in Uttara Kannada in Karnataka where seven people have been killed.
Arjun, a native of Kannadikkal in Kozhikode, went missing while driving the truck loaded with wood from Karnataka to Kerala in the landslide spot. ‘Another vehicle, a car carrying a family, is also trapped’, said the SP of Karwar, Narayan to the media.
“Today morning we got the news from the owner of the lorry that the GPS of the lorry which he was driving is being located. We have been trying to reach out to the police and the district administration in that region. So far, the news we gather is not encouraging. But we are hopeful that he will be back with the family soon”, said Preman, father of Arjun to News9.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the chief secretary to coordinate with his counterparts in Karnataka and ensure the rescue operations in the region are provided all the technical and manual support.
Rescue efforts are underway to trace the missing individuals, said Uttara Kannada’s Kumta sub-division Assistant Commissioner Kalyani Venkatesh Kamble. ”We have set up a control room,” said Kamble. Control room officials at Ankola also confirmed that they have received information regarding the missing driver from Kerala. ”We are in touch with the truck company to get the last location details”, he said.
Heavy downpour and a chance of another landslide is making it extremely difficult for the rescue team to carry forward the rescue operations.
The owner of the truck Moideen who spoke to the media said that the officials in Shirur, Karnataka whom they have contacted are not responding actively to their calls and requests and have been slow in taking up the search operations.
“We have been reaching out to an official in the area to get the updates on the situation, They are asking us to give a written complaint in the police station. This is a very callous attitude of the authorities who should step up and perform the duty”, he said.
Authorities are of the view that Arjun’s truck may have been washed off in the Gangavali river and hence Navy’s assistance was sought.
Fifteen people are still believed to be trapped under the debris where the landslide took place in Shirur in Karnataka.
After the news of Vishnu suspected to be under the debris of the landslide site in Shirur, various people including politicians and friends of the family have been reaching out to the Karnataka police for information about the Lorry driver Kerala States News India: Top News India, States News, States News Headlines, Online State News India, State Politics news
