After 70 days, body of Kerala driver, who went ‘missing’ in Shirur landslide, found

According to the disaster management officials, authorities fished out Arjun’s truck around 2:30 pm on Wednesday in the spot previously indicated by a team of drone experts led by Maj Gen M. Indrabalan (retd). The body was found in the cabin of the truck.

“Subsequently, with continuous dredging, the State Disaster Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force recovered bones of cattle and parts of vehicles, including tyres and a steering wheel, from the river,” a district administration official said. “Then, on Wednesday, Arjun’s truck was found floating on the surface of the river, following which a dinghy was drawn closer to the spot to recover the mortal remains of Arjun from the vehicle’s cabin.”

Wednesday’s breakthrough came days after Uttara Kannada district administration deployed a floating craft dredger brought in from Goa to help clear silt in the river and recover the truck.

The floating craft dredger, which was deployed on September 20, also helped find a two-wheeler belonging to another missing person, Lokesh, the official quoted above said.

The discovery of Arjun’s body came on the back of mounting pressure from the Kerala government , and brings the total number of deaths in the landslide to nine. An LPG tanker too had been swept away in the landslide.

Authorities are still looking for two more “missing” people – including Lokesh and Jagannath.

For Arjun’s family, this marks the end of a long search.

“After months of relentless efforts, we finally have our Arjun… Many had claimed that Arjun had been washed away, the truck isn’t there under the river etc and had undermined the rescue efforts. However, with relentless push and follow ups with the Karnataka government we at least received his body,” his uncle Abhilash told The Indian Express.

The body is currently undergoing postmortem at a government hospital in Karwar. According to government procedure, the Uttara Kannada district administration will later conduct a DNA test to positively confirm Arjun’s identity.

Manaf, whose company Sagar Koya Timber owns the truck, said he “always knew” Arjun would be found in the truck’s cabin.

“From the beginning, I always said he would be in the cabin. He was in the cabin itself. Several people said I was trying hard to get the vehicle back. I just need him taken from the cabin,” he said, adding that he only wanted to “bring Arjun home”.