Uttara Kannada landslip: CMO asks officials to expedite search for missing Kerala trucker

CMO coordinating with Karnataka to rescue truck driver Arjun trapped under mudslide, efforts hindered by inclement weather and mudslips.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office was in touch with its counterpart in Karnataka to expedite the search for a truck driver from Kozhikode, Arjun, whose vehicle got trapped under a mudslide at Ankola in Uttara Kannada District on Tuesday. 

In a press release, the CMO stated that Mr. Vijayan had tasked Chief Secretary Dr V Venu with coordinating with the Karnataka government to extricate the vehicle and its driver from the mud blocking the arterial road.

The trucker’s family has filed a missing person complaint at the Chevayoor police station in Kozhikode. The Kozhikode district police were also in touch with their counterparts in Karnataka. Some of Arjun’s relatives have filed a similar petition at the Ankola police station in Uttara Kannada district.

Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that the government had belatedly learned of Arjun’s failure to return to his family at Kannadikkal after his inter-state trip. He said Arjun was supposed to return home on June 16.

However, he did not turn up. The family felt nothing amiss since it was usual for long-distance lorry drivers to arrive a few days late due to trip disruptions, traffic or loading and unloading delays. 

Mr. Kumar said the truck was registered in Kerala and equipped with a GPS. The government was in touch with the truck manufacturer. He said, according to preliminary information, the truck carrying logs remained trapped under a pile of mud. 

Its cabin was sturdy enough to keep the driver alive. Mr Kumar said the vehicle data received by the manufacturer showed that the driver had started the engine twice in the past four days. And at times, Arjun’s mobile phone came online. However, the truck’s location remained unchanged for several days.