Experts confirm exact position of missing truck but strong current hits operations
Plans are being worked out to stabilise water current and alternative methods are being looked into to complete search operations
Deep penetrating RADAR and SONAR mounted drone has confirmed the location of the buried truck in the Gangavali river near Shirur in Uttara Kannada.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Water current proved to be a deterrent for the operations to trace the missing Kerala truck and its driver, the location of which has been zeroed in on by experts in the Gangavali river near Shirur village of Uttara Kannada.
During the search operations which entered the 11th day on Friday, experts from a private agency from Delhi, led by the former Major General Indra Balan, have confirmed the exact position of the large metal object under water, which is likely to be the missing truck.
Speaking to presspersons at Shirur after the daylong operations, Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada Lakshmi Priya said that that the agency has conveyed to them that they have identified the exact points for rescue operations to be carried out. And, once the agency hands over the location coordinates, they will take further steps.
She said that because of the strong water current, at this point of time, Navy divers will not be able to carry out further operations.
“Navy personnel have been checking the water current on a regular basis. Today, they checked and said that it is above 6 knots. And, such being the water current, it was not possible to carry out the operations. We will have to wait till the water current stabilises,” she said.
To a query, she said that plans are being worked out to stabilise the water current and alternative methods are being looked into.
One plan is to bring a floating platform or pontoon to the location identified by the experts in the river to look for a possibility of carrying out the search operations using any other method.
The floating platform is likely to arrive by Saturday morning.
Superintendent of Police of Uttara Kannada Narayan told The Hindu that a tugboat and pontoon are being brought in for making an attempt to reach the location identified by the experts.
“The plan is to reach the spot, use the pontoon as a deck or an anchor to help swimmers complete the search operations,” he said.
Mr. Narayan said that apart from Navy divers, a team of expert swimmers from Mulki and local fishermen has also been asked to be part of the search operations.
Now, it will be a joint operation by the Navy, NDRF and local fishermen and all depends on how far the water current slows down, he said.
Kerala Minister Mohammed Riyaz during a visit to the landslip site near Shirur in Uttars Kannada on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Meanwhile, a team comprising Kerala Minister Mohammed Riyaz visited the landslip site on Friday and sought details from the administration and local MLA Satish Sail about the steps taken and progress made so far.
Mr. Satish Sail said that the team was satisfied with the steps taken so far by the district administration.
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