Kozhikode: Rescue efforts are underway following a devastating landslide in Ankola, Karnataka, with fears that a Kozhikode native may be among those missing. Arjun, identitied as a truck driver from Kozhikode/ is suspected to have been caught in the landslide. Hailing from Kannadikkal in Kozhokode,while drivinga a truck,laden with heavy wood enroute Karnataka to Kerala went missing. Yet another car carrying a family, is also trapped,said sources .
The Uttara Kannada district administration on Friday confirmed that a truck driven by a Kozhikode native is among the vehicles trapped in the Ankola landslide.
Rescue efforts are underway to trace the missing individuals, said Uttara Kannada’s Kumta sub-division Assistant Commissioner Kalyani Venkatesh Kamble. ”We have found six bodies as of now. Five deceased are from a family and one body is of a gas tanker driver who is from Tamil Nadu. The search is still on. We have set up a control room. At present we can’t say exactly how many are trapped inside (the mud),” said Kamble to media.
Control room officials at Ankola also confirmed the information regarding the missing driver from Kerala. Earlier, the Ankola police had allegedly dismissed the suspicions of Arjun’s family that he might be trapped in the landslide and refused to launch a search operation.
“The truck’s location is clear on the GPS, and it’s right where the landslide happened,” vehicle owner Manaf told “We were in contact with Arjun till early Tuesday morning,”
Manaf first became suspicious about Arjun’s whereabouts when he noticed the truck’s location remained unchanged for an unusually long time on Tuesday. “I received messages in WhatsApp groups about the landslide and tried calling Arjun, but his phone was switched off,” Manaf said. “We reached the spot, but the Ankola police refused to assist in searching for Arjun despite informing them immediately.”
Manaf also expressed hope that Arjun might still be alive if the soil hadn’t entered the driver’s cabin. “The vehicle is fully covered, and the cabin is air-conditioned, so there’s a chance that the soil may not have gotten inside. We still hope that Arjun could be saved,” Manaf stated, adding that Arjun’s phone was active twice since Thursday. “The phone rang when his wife called yesterday, but it went off again shortly after,” he said.
Arjun’s family has filed complaints with the Chevayoor police in Kozhikode and at the Ankola police station.
Kerala Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar said on Friday that he has contacted the Karnataka counterpart and provided all necessary details to the officials there. He also directed the Kasaragod district collector to investigate the incident. “A team led by the Kasaragod RTO will go to the spot immediately,” he said.
