Shirur landslide: Army team in Ankola to take up search operations

SHIRUR : A 44-member team of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment from Belagavi has been deputed to carry out the search and rescue operations at the landslide site at Shirur village in Ankola taluk of Uttara Kannada district. The Army personnel have been deployed after severe criticism by Kerala media over the slow-paced rescue operations at the site. Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya said there was a request from the Kerala government to expedite the rescue operations and the district administration decided to seek Army’s assistance. Asked whether Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself called to expedite the process, she said, “The Kerala transport minister had called.” The Army unit will search the Gangavalli River where the truck is suspected to be stuck.