Karnataka landslide: On Day 9, state-of-the-art scanner joins search for Kerala native Arjun

The search for Arjun, a Kozhikode native missing since the July 16 landslide in Karnataka's Shirur, continued into its ninth day on Wednesday. The Navy and disaster management forces are using advanced technology, including sonar and radar to trace Arjun.  

Ankola: The search for Arjun, a Kozhikode native who went missing in a landslide in Karnataka's Shirur on July 16, entered its ninth day on Wednesday (July 24). The Indian Navy and disaster management teams are intensifying their efforts, utilizing advanced technologies such as sonar and radar to scan the affected area. Furthermore, retired army officer M Indrabalan will also assist the team with sophisticated surveillance equipment.

The search operation will resume in the Gangavali River on Wednesday, focusing on an area where sonar and radar scans have picked up signals suggesting the presence of metal fragments. A cutting-edge radio frequency scanner will be deployed to aid in the search. The operation aims to locate Arjun and two others who remain unaccounted for following the landslide.

The state-of-the-art radio frequency scanner, previously utilized in the Sikkim flood last year to locate 17 bodies and 36 vehicles, is now being deployed in Shirur to aid in the search operation. Manufactured by a private Uttar Pradesh-based company for military use, this advanced technology uses a drone-attached scanner to probe depths of up to 90 meters. Its key advantage lies in its ability to accurately pinpoint underground objects, including human remains, with a detection range of over two kilometers. With a proven track record of successful inspections, this technology offers new hope in the search for missing persons.

A sonar signal was detected 40 meters from the riverbank, which the army suspects could be from a truck or fragments of a large tower that collapsed. Notably, the army's radar scan also picked up a signal in the same area, increasing the likelihood of a significant find. 

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army, Navy, Kerala Rapid Response Team (KRT), and other special experts are conducting the search and clearing operations. Significant progress has been made in clearing soil from the Shirur site and searching the Gangavali River.

Advanced equipment, including radar from Mangaluru and Bengaluru, Army radar, and Navy sonar, is also being utilised in the search efforts. Heavy machinery, such as a Hitachi excavator from Hubli, is clearing soil up to 60 feet. Despite the extensive efforts, no trace of Arjun's lorry has been found even after clearing 70-80% of the soil at the hill site, prompting the search to focus on the river.