SHIRUR: At least 10 persons and several vehicles were buried in a landslide that occurred at Shirur village near Ankola on Karwar- Kumta road on Tuesday morning.
Among the victims, five are said to be members of a single family, who ran a hotel on NH 66.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when an entire hillock caved in and fell upon a shop. In the landslide, a huge tanker and many people who were on the spot were washed away instantly.
The vehicular movement along this stretch has been stopped since the landslide happened. The locals have been blaming the IRB road construction company stating that their unscientific construction has led to the disaster.
According to an eyewitness, this incident occurred in a flash of a second and the entire four-lane road was covered with mud.
“A car was passing through the stretch. We do not know whether it made it before the collapse or it is stuck amidst the heap,” said the eyewitness.
The locals say that they were in shock when they saw a huge tanker still floating in the river Gangavalli. The IRB Road construction at Shirur has come under controversy due to its snail-paced construction.
According to the recent reports, DC Uttara Kannada Lakshmi Priya, SP Uttara Kannada and CEO Zilla Panchayat, Uttara Kannada had reached the site. The Navy and other organisations have also reached.
As the rescue operations began, the rescue team was able to dig out one body identified as Shanti Lakshman Naik, 37, who along with her four family members remained buried.
According to the local officials, five persons all from a single family were buried in the landslide, while others were customers of the hotel who had stopped for a break.