MADIKERI: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) retrieved the body of Seer Ananda Theertha Swami (87), the elder brother of the Talacauvery Temple priest Narayana Achar, from the debris of a landslide at Talacauvery on Saturday. The team had started the operation looking for the missing five people in the landslide.
The State has declared Rs 5 lakh compensation for Ananda Theertha Swami’s family. Meanwhile, Rs 2 lakh compensation from the PM Funds has been announced for his family. The search operation began on Saturday morning and was headed by MLA K G Bopaiah, who reached the spot with volunteers. While one earthmover was involved in clearing the Bhagamandala-Talacauvery Road of the debris, the second one cleared excess silt.
Search operation near the priest’s house by NDRF and SDRF teams, local police, and local youths, started 20 feet from where the house stood earlier. The NDRF recovered the seer’s body in the evening and the search operation was called off on account of rain and fog. It will resume on Sunday.
Meanwhile, temple priest Narayana Achar’s sister Susheelamma and family reached Talacauvery on Saturday and filed a complaint with Bhagamandala police seeking help to find the five missing people. Temple priest Narayana Achar (70), his wife Shantha (70) and assistants Srinivas (30) and Ravi Kiran (26), are still missing.