Amid reports that search operations to trace Kerala lorry driver Arjun who went missing after a landslide at Shirur in Karnataka will be stopped, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged his Karnataka counterpart to continue the search operations till they yield positive results.
In a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister Vijayan urged him to continue the search with all the necessary equipment till they yield positive results.
“Wrote to Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to express appreciation for the search and rescue teams’ dedication in locating Arjun who went missing in a tragic landslide in Shirur, Karnataka. As there are reports of operations stopping, we requested him to give directions to continue the rescue operations till they yield positive results,” CM Vijayan wrote on X on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sale said the search for Arjun has been temporarily stopped due to the unfavourable situation in the River Gangavali.
Satishkrishna Sale said that the search operations would resume when the conditions in Shirur become favourable. The MLA said that the search operation will resume when the flow of the River Gangavali slows down.
Earlier on Sunday, expert diver Eshwar Malpe concluded the search for Arjun, along with his team, stating the challenges they faced during the search operations.
Arjun, a lorry driver from Kerala, went missing after a massive landslide at Shirur village in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district on July 15. The multi-agency rescue operation, involving the Army, Navy, NDRF, Fire Rescue, and Police could not trace him to the date.