Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 19 (PTI) Search operations are continuing in Shirur village in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district to trace three people, including a lorry driver from Kerala, who are missing after a massive landslide, police said on Friday.
One more body was recovered today, taking the toll in the July 16 landslide to seven.
“Seven bodies have been identified so far and three more are reported to be missing including the driver from Kerala. Our search operation is underway,” Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district Lakshmi Priya K told PTI.
When asked about the missing lorry driver from Kerala — Arjun from Kozhikode, she said: “We are unable to locate the lorry yet both inside the river as well as on the landslide site; it is not seen yet. We are doing the restoration work.” Lakshmi Priya said the body recovered today could be that of a driver from Tamil Nadu “One more body has been recovered now. We have got only the lower portion of the body. So, we are unable to identify whose body it is. It is a male body. So, it could be that of the driver from Tamil Nadu,” she said.
“We are doing a DNA test done on the body and we have requested the family of the tanker driver to come from Tamil Nadu to give their samples and if it matches, we will be handing over the body to them,” Lakshmi Priya said.
Superintendent of Police (Karwar), Narayana M, said: “Karnataka Police is doing all the possible ways to remove the debris but continuous rains are hampering operations. But we are hopeful that we will be able to locate (those missing). We are with the family (Arjun’s). We will do whatever possible ways to trace out the lorry.” According to Arjun’s family, his lorry is suspected to be trapped under the debris and his phone rang twice but there was no response.
The global positioning system-installed vehicle was tracked to the area where parts of the hill collapsed, they said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed Chief Secretary Dr V Venu to take necessary action.
As per the Chief Minister’s instructions, the Chief Secretary is in constant contact with the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police at the scene of the incident, a CMO official said.
Kerala’s Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan spoke to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over phone and requested urgent action to trace Arjun.
“Shivakumar assured that rescue operations are being expedited and all necessary steps are being taken,” the LoP’s office said in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Karwar police, after an intensive rescue and search operation by the local police, a team of National Disaster Response Force, Fire and emergency services and officials of other agencies, four bodies were recovered by Tuesday evening.
On Thursday, two more bodies were recovered, police said, adding, among the four dead were members of the same family, who ran a road-side eatery.
Vehicular traffic has been temporarily suspended on National Highway 66 following the landslide. PTI AMP TGB RS RS
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