Four dead, several missing as landslide hit NH 66 near Ankola

Ankola (Uttara Kannada): Four persons, including an 11-year-old boy, are confirmed dead while 10-15 persons are suspected to be missing after a massive landslide hit National Highway 66 near Shirur village of Ankola taluk on Tuesday.

Rescue officials have so far recovered bodies of four persons and a search is on to trace the missing persons from both under the debris of the landslide and in the Gangavali river. The deceased have been identified as Lakshman Naik (47), his wife Shanthi (36) and son Roshan (11). The identity of the fourth body is yet to be ascertained. Officials also sighted the body of a girl child in the river but could not retrieve it. The bodies were recovered in Gangavali River, at least six km from the accident area.

Their home-cum-tea stall was washed away in the landslide.

Owing to bad weather and poor visibility the rescue operations were halted in the night.According to an eyewitness, the landslide struck at around 8:45 am. Huge boulders along with tonnes of mud swept away three houses and shops on the bank of the river. A few trucks and a car were passing the area when the landslide struck it. Two gas tankers were washed away into the river.

Of the two gas tankers that washed away in the river, the officials were able to drag one of them to the banks. As a precautionary measure, the district administration has evacuated the villagers on the banks of the river fearing gas leaks from the vehicles. Nearly 1,500 have been shifted to rescue centres, said district officials.

The impact of the landslide was so strong that it created a ripple effect in the already overflowing Gangavali River and resulted in the washing away of four houses in Ulliver village, which is on the other bank of the river. One person died and thirteen others sustained grievous injuries in the incident and have been receiving treatment at Kumta Taluk Hospital.

Raju Hulidevaravada, a lorry driver and eye witness to the incident, said: “Four or five lorries and a car with family members were passing the stretch when huge boulders and mud started to fall on the road. I could see two gas trucks washing away in the river. A few people were at the tea stall, and the entire structure was washed away by the landslide. Around 15 people might be buried under the derbies.”

Speaking to DH, Deputy Commissioner K Lakshmipriya, who visited the spot, said so far they have recovered four bodies. “The house-cum-tea stall had five residents and a house next to it had one person. Three persons from the two families are missing. Search is on the riverside and landslide area to trace the missing persons.”

Kumta Assistant Commissioner Kalyani Kambale said there is no clarity on the total number of people who might have been buried under the derbies. “Excavators and two teams of National Disastrous Relief Force have been pressed into the rescue operations,” she said.

The rescuers are working under fear as there is a high possibility of further landslides.

The highway has been blocked for public use.

Locals have been blaming the unscientific construction of the National Highway that is being widened by blasting the hills and excavating tonnes of soil.

In a similar incident at Kinnar village in Karwar taluk, a 65-year-old man died after a portion of a hill collapsed on a house. The deceased has been identified as Tikars Gorava.