Rescue Efforts Intensified at Shirur Landslide SiteRescue Efforts Intensified at Shirur Landslide Site Following criticism over the slow pace of rescue operations at the landslide site in Shirur village, a 44-member team from the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment has been deployed to assist in the search for missing persons. The army personnel will focus on locating Arjun, a truck driver from Kasargod, who was transporting timber when the landslide occurred six days ago. The army unit will search the Gangavalli river, where the truck is believed to be stuck, with the assistance of NDRF, ASDRF, and district police. Additional Missing Persons Reported Two more missing persons complaints have been filed with the Ankola police. Jagannath Naik and Lokesh Naik, both from Shirur, have been reported missing. Earlier, a complaint had been filed for truck driver Arjun, who is suspected to be trapped in the rubble of the hotel where he had stopped for a break. Army’s Expertise Expected to Expedite Search The army unit is experienced in rescue operations and has members who have worked in Himachal Pradesh. They are expected to track sonar signals and locate the truck and any potential survivors. CM Visits Landslide Area Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the landslide area on Sunday and interacted with locals. He directed officials to provide relief to those affected by the disaster.
Rescue personnel at the site of the landslide in Shirur village in Ankola taluk of Uttara Kannada district on Sunday Photo | D Hemanth
SHIRUR (UTTARA KANNADA): A 44-member team of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment from Belagavi has been deputed to carry out search and rescue operations at the landslide site in Shirur village in Ankola taluk of Uttara Kannada district. They will search for missing persons, especially Arjun from Kasargod, amid the debris. Arjun, a truck driver, was transporting timber from Jagalpet in Joida taluk when the area was hit by the landslide six days ago.
The army personnel were deployed following fierce criticism from the media in Kerala over the slow rescue operations at the site.
“The army unit has arrived here. It was decided yesterday (Sunday). We have NDRF, SDRF and army personnel working there now. We hope that there will be results sooner,” a senior official of the district administration said. Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya said there was a request from the Kerala government to speed up the rescue operations and the district administration decided to seek the army’s help. “We think the truck could be buried under the rubble. The army unit will be here for four days,” she added.
When asked if Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan herself called to expedite the process, she replied, “The Kerala Transport Minister called.”
The army unit will search the Gangavalli river where the truck is believed to be stuck. They are being assisted by NDRF, ASDRF and district police.
SP Narayan said the army unit is quite experienced in rescue operations. “This team is not an ordinary one. It has members who have worked in Himachal Pradesh in rescue operations.”
Two more complaints about missing persons
“They (the army unit) can track sonar signals and get the expected results,” Narayan said TNI.
The army personnel quickly got to work after arriving at the scene and were divided into two teams to speed up the search operation.
Meanwhile, two more complaints have been filed with the Ankola police about missing persons in the landslide and requests to search for them. One is Jagannath Naik, a resident of Shirur and another is Lokesh Naik, also from Shirur. It is said that Lokesh was drinking tea at Lakshman Naik’s hotel at the site of the landslide when he disappeared.
Earlier, a complaint was filed by relatives of Arjun, a truck driver, who was buried under the rubble. The complaint stated that he had stopped for a break at the hotel and was in his vehicle when the landslide occurred. The relatives suspect that he is still alive and said that his phone was ringing.
CM meets residents at the site of the landslide
Shirur: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday visited the landslide area at Shirur on the Ankola-Kumta road in Uttara Kannada district and spent over an hour inspecting the damage and interacting with the locals. He directed the officials to provide relief to the needy
