Arjun rescue day 13: K'ntka suspends search due to adverse weather

Shiroor/Karnataka: The search for Arjun, the Kerala trucker who went missing in a landslide in Karnataka's Shirur, has been temporarily suspended. The Karnataka government announced it and cited adverse weather conditions as the reason for suspending the search.

A search team led by a diver and expert fisherman, Ishwar Malpe, stopped the recovery effort due to adverse conditions, Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sail also told the media. According to the MLA, sophisticated machines are needed for the search, and it will take days to bring them. He added there will be a high-level meeting on Sunday, and the current situation at Shiroor will be submitted before the chief minister of Karnataka.

Ishwar Malpe found mud, soil, rock, a huge banyan tree, etc., underwater and heavy rains are forecasted for the region in the next 21 days.

District Collector Lakshmi Priya said that four locations were checked. Thanking Ishwar Malpe on behalf of the district administration, she said that his team risked their lives in the river. She said that team hit rock, soil, electric lines etc., in the river but the lorry.

The Karnataka government and the Indian Navy, who are actively involved in the efforts, told the Kerala government that further for the trucker is not going to yield the desired results. The Kerala government was told the same in a review meeting held on Friday afternoon in the presence of Kerala PWD Minister Muhammad Riyaz.

The lorry cabin, where Arjun is expected to be, was also subjected to thermal scanning on Friday. An eyewitness turning up and confirming that the spot from where a signal was received was where the lorry fell was giving hope. However, the state of Karnataka decided to suspend the search for a while.