At least three men are feared trapped under a huge mound of soil following a landslide that killed at least seven people in Ankola, Karnataka. The incident occurred at Shirur village on July 16, and authorities claim that nearly 75 percent of the debris had been cleared by Friday evening.
The district administration believes three persons—Jagannath Naik and Sanni Gowda of Shirur village, and Arjun, a truck driver from Kerala—are still missing.
The landslide occurred around 8.30 am on 16 July. “As a result of the landslide, mud came from the national highway towards the Gangavali River and lorries, gas tankers, vehicles and the house of a local resident, identified as Lakshmana Bommaiah Naik, were buried under the debris,” the Uttara Kannada district police said in a statement.
Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya stated that seven bodies have been found so far. “Three more persons are still missing, and we hope we might find them soon,” she said to reporters.
The police have reported the deaths of seven people — the owner of the hotel/house Lakshman Naik, 42, his family members, including his wife, 36, and two children aged nine and six. The other persons whose deaths have been confirmed by the Uttara Kannada police are Chinnannan, the driver of a tanker, R Murugan, a driver, and the partial body of an unidentified person.
Rescue operations received a boost on Friday when deep sea divers from the Indian Navy’s Sea-Bird unit joined the National and State Disaster Response Forces (NDRF and SDRF) in scanning the muddied waters of the Gangavali river.
Very heavy rain since Friday morning has complicated rescue operations, as the river is now flowing above the danger mark.
The Uttara Kannada district administration has sought assistance from the Coast Guard in the search efforts. Despite clearing some debris, the harsh terrain, heavy rain, and potential landslides in adjoining areas pose significant hurdles.
The search operation, suspended on Friday night, will resume on Saturday morning.
“I have written to the Coast Guard to help with their helicopter to search for the bodies in the river and even amid the debris at the areas beyond our reach,” Priya added. However, bad weather has made helicopter assistance impossible.
“We want to believe that a miracle will happen,” said Krishnapriya, Arjun’s wife, to Malayalam media outlets.
Arjun, who has been working as a driver for a Kerala-based trader, used to go on inter-state trips for work. His family is holding onto hope as his mobile phone was still ringing on Friday morning. They revealed that Arjun contacted them on Monday, after which there has been no communication. The family has appealed to the authorities to continue the search until he is found.
