Karnataka: Diver Eshwar Malpe recovers hydraulic jack believed to be from missing Kerala driver Arjun's lorry

In the search for missing Kerala lorry driver Arjun, expert diver Eshwar Malpe discovered a piece of the lorry in the Gangavali River near Shirur in Karnataka. Malpe, who began his search at around 4:15 PM, located this metal part at the bottom of the river that was later confirmed to belong to the missing lorry.

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Manaf, the owner of the lorry, identified the object as the hydraulic jack from Arjun's Bharat Benz lorry. According to Manaf, the jack, which was brand new, is the one that was stored in the toolbox at the rear of the vehicle. This discovery marks the third item recovered from the tanker lorry involved in the accident.

Despite the challenges of diving in the river, Malpe continued his search, making several dives before announcing that the search would be suspended for the day. He stated that the search would resume the next morning at 8:30 AM with additional help, expressing optimism that the lorry could be located soon. The weak current in the river has made visibility on the riverbed more manageable, increasing hopes for a successful search.

The search, which lasted only two hours today, is set to intensify tomorrow with the involvement of members from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Authorities have confirmed that the river’s current remains weak, which is expected to aid the search efforts.

Meanwhile, political tensions have surfaced, with Karnataka MLA Satish Krishna Sail criticized the Kerala government and said that Kerala's response to bringing a dredger from Thrissur was not favourable. 

However, the Kerala Chief Minister's Office and the Thrissur district administration refuted Sail's accusations, stating that they had informed the Karnataka government that a dredger from Thrissur was unsuitable for the search operation. The district administration clarified that this decision was based on an expert team's inspection report, and the Karwar Collector was notified in writing on August 5.

Arjun's family has expressed their frustration with the delays in the search operation. Jithin, Arjun’s brother-in-law, warned that the family would stage a protest in Shirur if the search did not resume promptly. Favourable weather and weak current in the river could aid the mission on Wednesday as the rescue teams prepare for the next phase of the search.

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• Eshwar Malpe
• lorry driver
• arjun
• gangavali river
• missing lorry
• missing driver
• navy
• shirur
• karnataka
• landslide