SHIRUR: The Karnataka government confirmed on Wednesday that a truck has been located in the Gangavali River amid the ongoing search for Kerala native Arjun, and two others who went missing after a landslide in Shirur.
Attempts to lift the lorry from the river will resume on Thursday morning. The rescue operation was disrupted on Wednesday night due to a bad weather.
Sources said that a a military-grade drone from Delhi will be brought via train for the completion of the mission on Thursday.
Earlier Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda confirmed the location of the truck in the Gangavalli river through a social media post.
"One truck has been definitively located in the water and that the naval deep divers will attempt anchoring shortly. The long-arm boomer excavator will be used to dredge the river. Advanced drone based Intelligent Underground Buried Object Detection system was also deployed for search. The Coast Guard will do a helicopter search for missing bodies in water," the Minister posted in X
The operation has received significant assistance from NASA, ISRO, the Navy, and the NDRF, thanks to the coordinated efforts of District Police Chief Narayan and his team. The collaboration enabled the identification of the location of the truck with Arjun onboard.
"I sent the details to a friend at NASA, who provided a topography chart. We then shared this with ISRO, which analyzed the images and confirmed the truck's location. Although we requested machinery for the extraction, two bridges—the Konkan Railway Bridge and the Gangavalli Bridge—are obstructing access. Since the machinery cannot be brought here, a boom barrier or crane will remove the debris," SP Narayan of Uttara Kannada told TNIE.
"Based on the coordinates, we have requested choppers from the Indian Navy to pinpoint the location in the river. The ground team will then demarcate and secure the area. Once we have the exact spot, we will proceed with searching for any bodies," said SP Narayan.
Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya expressed relief, confirming that the truck has been located and hoping that the operation will be nearly complete by the end of the day.
The district administration has requested deep penetration radar from Noida, which is now being transported by train due to DGCA restrictions. This radar will help confirm the truck's exact location, as it is buried about 40 feet deep in the river. A radar expert coming from Palakkad will aid the rescue team. Karwar MLA Satish Sail and Manjeshwar MLA Ashraf are on-site to oversee the operation.
According to media reports, heavy rain, wind and severe weather conditions are making the rescue operations challenging. Deep divers from the Navy had to pause searches and return to land due to heavy rain, reported local media.
The massive landslide on the Karwar-Kumta Road (NH 66) near Shirur and Ankola occurred on the morning of July 16. According to officials, three people, including Arjun are reported to be missing since the incident.
Vehicular traffic has been suspended on National Highway 66 following the landslide.